Utterly Unexpected
by Anne Callendar
Summary: Lucas Grendahay (Ace Grit) is a handsome, rich, brilliant husband who has a presumably perfect life. When he's on one of his business trips away from home, however, his wife, Alice does something totally unexpected that may cause him to spiral into darkness.
1. The Beginning of the End

**Utterly Unexpected**

Lucas Grendahay, a rich, handsome, brilliant guy has a really demanding job. He's away from his family a lot. What happens when he is not there, and what causes this young man to fall into darkness. Bakugan Battle Brawlers. AcexAlicexOC

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><p><strong>D<strong>**isclaimer:** I do not own Bakugan, or any character associated with it.

**Note: **Character name changes are as follows:

Ace = Lucas Grendahay (Mr)

Alice Gehabich = Alice Grendahay (Mrs)

Joe = Joseph Gehabich (Alice's half brother)

**New Adult Characters:** Anthony Fazio

Professor Brantley

**Formatting: **_Italics_ are for thoughts

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><p>Lucas reclined in his seat and tried to block out the persistent humming the aeroplane was making. He was returning from an orthopaedic seminar being held in St. Gallen, Switzerland. He had been invited by Professor Brantley, an old mentor of his, to attend, and shed some light on the research he was doing. Extremely tired, he closed his eyes and let his thoughts swallow him…<p>

_It's been a week since I've been home. I wonder how Carla and Zachary are doing. Do they miss me? Does Alice miss me? Shoot… I am so exhausted. I __**need **__to get home NOW. I __**need**__ to get off this plane. I __**need **__to see my family… _

"E-Excuse me sir…"

Lucas flicked one eye open to see a blonde guy, about in his thirties, staring at him.

"Are-Are you Dr. Lucas Grendahay?"

At this Lucas sat up straight and opened his other eye. _What does this blockhead want from me?_

"Yes I am. Why do you ask", Lucas asked in a completely smooth voice, void of all traces of annoyance.

"I was just curious. You see, I'm a huge fan of your work. I enjoy reading the different reports you write on your experiments. I really like the idea of using platinum as a bone replacement."

"Why, thank you. Who exactly are you, though" Lucas asked, trying his best not to sigh and leave the business class cabin altogether.

"My most sincere apologies, sir. I am Liam Brent, scientific writer" , said guy replied, adjusting his glasses.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Brent."

"Dr. Grendahay, do you mind if I question you for a bit? This is my first and maybe last opportunity."

Lucas was a bit shocked, and probably a bit of that emotion showed on his face, however, luckily for him, the overly obsessed man didn't pick that up.

"Sure, as long as you don't give it to the media." _It's not like I have anything better to do with my time._

"Let's get started then." Liam hurriedly took a notepad out of his pocket and unhooked a pen from the tail of his shirt.

"_Stalker"_, Lucas thought.

"Do you have any kids?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Two. Adopted."

"Since you have kids, why are you away from home so often?"

"My job requires it. We manage though…" _I'm a terrible father. My kids must feel neglected._

"I see…"

**And so the extremely boring and somewhat disturbing interview continued, making him feel worse than before.**

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><p><strong>At the Grendahay home in Hiroshima, Japan<strong>

Alice lay in bed, her heart rate returning to normal. She was in a guest bedroom, curtains drawn and bedclothes messy. The children were still at school, and it was her day off from the veterinary clinic. Beside her lay a young brunette. He was still breathing heavily. His arms were wrapped around her and the sheet had been thrown carelessly over both their bare lower halves. He eyed her with satisfaction as her chest rose and fell and she had a light tinge of pink on her cheeks. A packet of condoms were thrown carelessly on the floor and a fresh box was on the night table, ready and waiting to be opened.

After the two recovered Alice stretched over to the nightstand and looked at the clock. 1 pm. "_Hm. I should have enough time_", she thought. The young man saw her smirk and took that as a sign. She sat up and threw off the sheet as he began to straddle her hips. He claimed her mouth with his and the predictable, unspeakable truth happened afterwards.

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><p>Hello everyone. My first story, so don't be so harsh with me, 'kay. Please rate and review and let me know if I should include anything else, improve anything, etc. If you have a problem with the length of the paragraphs, sorry, but I find it very difficult to write long ones.<p> 


	2. Crushed

**Utterly Unexpected**

**Crushed**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bakugan, or any character associated with it.

**Formatting: **_Italics_ are for thoughts and flashbacks

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><p>Lucas rushed through the Hiroshima International Airport. His heart was beating double-time. Everything passed by him in a blur. He longed to get out of the airport, collect his car and head for home. Sure, he'd spent much longer than a week away from his family before, but for the past couple of months, whenever he went on a business trip, he'd feel uncomfortable leaving Alice and his kids alone. Lucas couldn't stop himself from going over a rather uncomfortable conversation he had had with his wife a few months back.<p>

"_Alice, sweetheart, I have to go to Switzerland on Monday," Lucas was filing his medical reports in the kitchen. He lifted his head from his work and watched Alice's face. Her usually cheery expression suddenly changed into a disappointed, annoyed one._

"_What for this time, Lucas?" she asked, putting down a glass vase with white roses in it._

"_I'm supposed to be lecturing some university students on the different creative alternatives we can use in the medical industry, like artificial limbs, substitutes for blood and other stuff like that."_

"_Why you? Why do you always have to be the one they choose to do these things? Don't they know you have a family and a life away from work?" Alice began to get red in the face._

"_Sweetheart…"_

"_No. You've only just come back a week ago. It's not fair." Lucas reached for Alice's left hand which was resting on the table. He gently pulled her on to his lap and cradled her in his arms. She rest her head on his chest and he bent his head so he could inhale her delicious scent._

"_Lucas, what am I supposed to tell Carla and Zachary?"_

"_Just tell them that Daddy needs to go away again for a little while longer"_

"_Do you know what Carla told me the last time you left? She had a ballet recital and I asked her if I should invite you. She…She said that I shouldn't tell you anything about it because you wouldn't show up anyway."_

_Lucas abruptly lifted his head from his wife's hair. Those few words had cut him deep. Very deep. "I see." Lucas said…_

After passing through immigrations, he moved mechanically through the rest of the process. Finally, Lucas exited the cold airport and entered the fresh air of his newly adopted home. He signalled a baggage boy dressed in the red and yellow uniform. The young Japanese national quickly came to Lucas' aid. Lucas bounded across the road to the parking lots as soon as it was clear and looked for his vehicle among all the others in the expansive place. He went to the section labelled Leave-Ins and rushed up to the small building. Stepping into the air-conditioned room calmed Lucas' nerves a bit. A plump man with red hair sat around the front desk. He had a neatly arranged rack of keys beside him and stared into an automobile magazine.

"Good evening sir. I'm collecting my vehicle with the license number LG56-12."

The fat man slowly lifted his eyes from the magazine. He examined Lucas from head to toe then stroked his chin for a bit. He then squinted at the key rack. He ran his stubby fingers along the rows until he found the key that matched the plate number. Lucas quickly snatched the keys from his hand and dropped some money on the counter. "Keep the change," he ordered as he went out.

A few minutes later he located his car. He unlocked the doors and the trunk and allowed the baggage boy to put his things inside. The poor boy had found it so difficult to keep up with Lucas that he was sweating, puffing and red in the face by the time he had arrived at the car. Lucas smiled at him and uttered his thanks as he discreetly pushed some cash into the boy's hands. The baggage boy swiftly put his reward in his coat pocket and thanked Lucas for it.

It felt so good for him to be driving through his neighbourhood streets now. The anxiety and tightness in Lucas' chest had begun to subside. He called to several neighbours who were going about their daily lives. He took deep breaths of the 'familiar' air. He marvelled at the oak trees which bordered the sidewalks on either side of the road. And finally, when he pulled into his driveway, he sighed with joy at the sight of his home.

Alice and her lover were just through when they both heard a vehicle pull into the driveway. "What the heck?" Alice asked throwing off the sheet and rising from the bed. She peeked through the curtains and swore sharply when she saw her husband's car outside. "Martin, you must leave now. Hurry up and get some clothes on. My husband's home. I'm gonna have to sneak you out back." Martin scrambled off the bed and gathered his clothes from the floor in a mad rush. He slipped into his shirt and jeans in record time. Meanwhile, Alice got into a mid-thigh length house dress and gathered the used condoms off the floor. She ran into the bathroom, stuffed them at the bottom of the bin and ran into the bedroom again. Downstairs she could hear a key turning in the front door's lock. Martin dragged the stained sheets off the bed, rolled them up and stowed them away under the bed for the time being.

Alice ushered Martin out of the room and down the stairs as quickly as possible, however Lucas entered the house and immediately spotted the two. He froze in his tracks. He eyed Martin suspiciously and looked with much disapproval of the close proximity at which he was standing to his wife.

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><p>"Hello Alice." Lucas slowly pushed the door shut, keeping his eyes on Martin the whole time.<p>

"Hey sweetie. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow. Why didn't you call?" Alice asked, trying her best to give Lucas a genuine smile.

"We can talk about that later, but for the time being, who is this?"

"He's a repairman." Alice replied, keeping her cool as the lie easily flowed from her lips.

"Oh really. What happened?" Lucas' eyes immediately narrowed and his suspicion transformed into hostility. The air in the main room suddenly seemed to get so humid, it was hard to breathe. Martin looked everywhere else but at Lucas, the house's master. He couldn't possibly bring himself to. After all, he had slept with his wife more than once. '_What have I gotten myself into now?'_ he asked himself. However, Alice stared her husband straight in the eye. She kept calm. She showed no sign of nervousness.

"The dryer broke down and I needed to get some washing done. Harry was out of the area, so he couldn't come. Instead, he recommended Vince Marsh for me. I was just escorting him to the door when you stepped in."

Sweat was dripping down Martin's cheeks. He was amazed at how skilled a liar Alice was. She seemed like an absolute angel, but then again, that was what he thought when he first saw her. Martin flinched when he heard Lucas' voice raise to a dangerous level.

"Get out of my house you worthless creature!" Terrified, Martin quickly weaved his way around the two and took his leave. Lucas was now red in the face and on the verge of hyperventilating. Alice's palms began to sweat. A lot. Lucas stepped toward her and gripped her shoulders hard. He stared down at her. Alice, unable to hold out any longer, turned her head away and shut her eyes. Lucas' hands travelled down her arms to her own hands. He took hers in his. Alice tried her best to ball her sweaty hands into fists, but he was too fast for her…

He knew she was lying. He saw the love marks on her neck, her collarbone, her thighs; he noticed her messy state. He noticed her unusually red lips and the darkness of lust that she normally had in her eyes for a bit right after they had expressed their love. So there was no need for him to check if her palms were dry. But still, he hung on to hope. He still wanted to believe that the same woman who had promised to be faithful to him was living up to his expectations. He still wanted to believe that his wife was innocent. Slowly, Lucas pried his wife's fingers open one by one, still refusing to believe she was cheating on him. Suddenly, he dropped her hands. He squeezed his eyes shut, bit down hard on his lips and balled his hands into tight fists at his side.

"L-Lucas." Alice began, taking a step toward him. She reached for his hands, but Lucas harshly slapped them away.

"Are you bloody mad?! What was going through your mind?! How could you do something like this to me?!" Lucas was about to hit her. Hard. Alice held her breath and prepared for impact. Lucas, however, stopped mere inches from her face. Instead, he grasped her shoulders and squeezed them. Alice felt guiltiness slap her like a plague when her husband's grey eyes desperately searched hers. In his eyes was a complicated mass of emotions – anger, hatred, love, betrayal, regret, hurt and other unidentifiable ones.

"How…How long has this been going on for? I know it's not the first time."

"Ever since you went to Switzerland." Saying that made shame flow through Alice's body. She now regretted the very idea of fantasizing about what it would be like to have an affair. Lucas lowered his head. All his strength left him. He loosened his grip on his wife's shoulders and let his hands slide off them. Slowly, he turned around, picked up his car keys from the spot he'd dropped them and went out the front door. Lucas stumbled across the driveway, and got into his car.

Alice ran to the front door. Grasping the doorjam tightly, she screamed Lucas' name. She pleaded with him to stay. She pleaded with him to understand, but Lucas was in a trance. While reversing, his mind swarmed with thoughts. _This is a dream, right? It must be. My sweet Alice would never do something like that. At least, not of her own will. Maybe I ended up forcing her to. I pushed her back against the wall. I didn't give her enough attention, so she had to look for it elsewhere. Yes. That must be it. So now it's official. I'm a terrible father, and a sad excuse for a husband. I can't even keep my woman happy. _Lucas sped to a bar on the outskirts of town. he quickly entered it. Right now, he didn't care about his reputation, or his career, or of what people would think. he took a seat at the counter in the dimly lit place. Absent-mindedly, he downed several shots and bottles of alcohol. He'd promised himself before that he would break out of that bad habit - it and smoking too. After his bout, he passed out.

The bartender looked at Lucas worriedly. He knew who he was, and he felt guilty about supplying Lucas with alcohol. Quietly and discreetly he reached for a beret under the counter and covered Lucas' face and some of his hair. Lucas' phone rang. It was lying beside him. The bartender answered it. On the other line was Joseph Gehabich - another well known rich man. "Lulu, when are you coming back to Japan? Your kids are driving me and Chan crazy!"

"Umm. Mr. Gehabich sir?" the bartender began nervously.

"Who is this?" Joseph's voice changed.

"I'm nobody important sir. Just a bartender. But, your friend is in a pinch. Lucas Grendahay. He over-drank."

"Where is he. I'll come for him."

The bartender gave him the address, then went around the counter. "Shizuki, I'm leaving you in charge for a while." The bartender went behind Lucas, pulled him up, and dragged him out of the building. He took off his apron, spread it on the concrete ground, then put Lucas to sit down on it. He stooped down to him and looked him in the face. The bartender lightly slapped him on the right cheek. "Hey. Grendahay-sama. You must wake up now." Lucas was unresponsive. The bartender slapped him a little harder now. "Grendahay-sama. Come on, you need to get up." This time, Lucas groaned. His face was wrenched in pain, and a slight green colour. "Alice!" he called. Slowly, he opened his grey eyes. The bartender was shocked when he looked into them. They were so cold, so lifeless, as if he had lost something very important.

Pulling the beret off his head and putting it into his lap, he asked, "Where am I? Why am I not at home with my wife and children?"

"I don't know, Grendahay-sama. You were in my bar and you over-drank. I wanted to stop serving you, but that would draw too much attention."

"Nyahh~ I feel terrible. Can you help me up please? I need to g-" Lucas' statement was interrupted by a surge of hot fluid coming up his throat. Moved his head away from the bartender, then threw up. If it weren't for the bartender, then he would have collapsed right then and there. Lucas' skin got really cold, and it took much effort for him to breathe. He was about to pass out again when Joseph pulled up. He quickly got out of the car and ran over to them. "Joseph?" Lucas asked weakly. Don't speak. I'm taking you to my home. I won't have you kill poor Alice with worry. Joseph looked at the bartender, thanked him profusely and promised to make it up to him before taking hold of his sick friend and helping him into the car. He put him in the front passenger seat beside him, then drove off.

"Joseph, I'm tired and my back aches. Stop the car and help me around back." Lucas ordered in slurred speech.

"I'm not letting you sleep. You might not wake up."

"Joseph, stop the flipping car now!" Lucas whined, his face becoming flushed. He was beginning to remember what had happened earlier.

"You really have the nerve to be ordering me to do things for you now?! Can you see yourself right now?! Do you know who you are? How could you be so careless? Do you know what could've happened if that bartender hadn't stuck up for you?!" Joseph let out a bitter laugh before continuing. "You probably don't even understand me right now, cuz' you're a disgusting wasted piece of trash. Well, maybe I'm wrong, you should be an expert on hiding how drunk you really are, you bottomless barrel! Have you forgotten the promise you made? The one about not drinking or smoking anymore back when we were in high school. You promised all of us - your wife, me - your brother in law, Daniel, Runo, Billy, Julie, all of us! Is this what promises mean to you Lucas?!" Joseph looked at him for a split second before looking at the road again. He could see his friend was being hurt by what he was saying, but he couldn't stop. He felt so angry that he would do something like that again, after he promised not to do so ever again.

Lucas turned his attention to Joseph. He stared at him blankly. His vision was blurred, and he felt as if he were watching his life through a clouded film. Joseph's words were poison to him. The worst part was knowing that they were all true.

"This is the last time I'm saving your scrawny butt. You have a wonderful life - a beautiful wife, and two awesome children and you're willing to throw them away over a bottle of alcohol. Pathetic. Despicable. Lucas, you're nothing but a worthless piece of white trash."

"Ahh. That's right. I am pretty worthless, aren't I?" Lucas said in a weak hurt voice. He remembered everything, and sadly smiled as he lit a cigarette and opened his window. He rested his head on the head rest, and inhaled the putrid smoke.

Joseph gave his friend a good look._ Something's wrong. Lucas would never act like this. I knew it from I got the call, but I was too angry to find out. Darn. More than likely I've added to his burden. I just couldn't keep my big mouth shut. _"Lucas, what's wrong? I'm really sorry about what I said earlier, but I couldn't keep it in. I hate seeing you treat yourself like that." Joseph's voice cracked. Lucas opened his eyes, looked at his brother-in-law, then closed them again. Silence continued all the way to Joseph's home. He ran around, put an arm over Lucas' shoulder, and helped him out of the vehicle. He was about to carry him inside when Lucas gently pushed him away. He tried to steady himself, tugged at his collar.

"My kids are inside, right. At least let them see me walking on my own two feet." Joseph let him go, then walked behind him, just in case he needed to catch him. Struggling to keep himself from falling, but determined not to worry his children, Lucas strode into the house, as if everything was peachy. A little girl with red hair that had two turqouise streaks in it, porcelain skin, and grey eyes sat at the bottom of the staircase, staring at her watch. Her brother, with red hair and brown eyes (lightened by grey) sat beside her, sighing. He looked up, and instantly, his eyes lit up.

"Daddy!" he cried. He grabbed his sister's hand

"Pappa, you're back!" she exclaimed.

Lucas kneeled down and embraced his children. "Mmm. Carla, Zacahry,I'm so happy to see you."

The two little ones pulled away smiling, but soon, Carla's smile disappeared.

"Pappa, under your eyes is really dark."

"Yeah, Daddy. And your face is all red."

Lucas stood up and ruffled their hair. "You two." He smiled. "I missed you so much since I left that I cried myself sick."

"Well Daddy, you don't have to do that anymore. We're all together now. You, sister and I, and mother." At the sound of 'mother', Lucas tensed. Joseph saw.

"Yeah. I'm glad for that." he lied. "Can I disappoint you again though. I'm very tired, and I need to sleep, so I'm going to bed now. Is that okay?"

"Sure Pappa." Carla said.

"Thanks." Lucas struggled up to his room. His consciousness was hanging by a thread. He painfully made his way to a guest room. As soon as he got inside, he collapsed, but Joseph caught him before he could hit the ground.

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><p>~ Anne Callendar<p>

Sorry I took so long to do this chapter. I was really busy. I have one small problem, though. Wanna know what it is? Well, I don't know if I'm making my valued readers upset, or if I'm making them happy, because nobody cares to tell me if they hate what I've done, or if it's okay. So, to resolve this problem, I'm asking all of you to be honest to me and **rate and review my work please!** (It's not like I'm a really good writer or anything, so I need guidance.)


	3. Carla and Zach

**No. I was not in a coma. No. I was not killed then resurrected. I was alive the whole time.**

**I know how this story is going to turn out, but the problem is getting there, but rest assured that it will be completed in due time. Patience is what's necessary. This chapter is extremely short by the way.**

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><p><em><strong>CARLA AND ZACH <strong>_

Joseph sighed deeply as he closed the door to the guest room. He leaned his head back against it and listened to the peals of laughter coming from the kitchen area. Trying to clear his mind of all the insulting things he'd said earlier, the young man embraced what, under normal circumstances, he would call noise. Being childless, it took him some time to adjust whenever his niece and nephew came over to visit.

He pushed himself away from the door, and started down the stairs to the kitchen. Still feeling unsettled, Joseph preferred to lean against the entryway wall instead of just waltzing inside. A smile crept onto his lips at the sight before him. His wife, niece and nephew all sat on high stools around the kidney bean shaped island in the middle of the kitchen. Grins were plastered over Zachary's and Carla's faces as they listened to one of their aunts traditional stories.

Whenever they came over they would beg Chan-Lee to tell them one of the stories that her grandmother used to tell her when she was a child living in China.

Occasionally, Zachary would turn his attention to the attractive plate of chocolate-chip cookies in front of him, or to the mug of warm milk close to it. Carla, on the other hand, never once took her eyes off of her aunt. She absorbed every word that came out of her mouth.

Joseph stood there watching them until Chan had completed her tale, and was about to be assaulted by the two young ones for more.

"Enjoying story time I see." He finally spoke up. Chan mouthed him a great 'thank you' as soon as the siblings turned towards him.

"Oh Uncle Joe, please ask Aunt Lee to tell us another story," Carla begged.

Joseph was about to respond, however, he was cut off by a yawn from Zachary. The warm milk had done a number on him.

"Come on, Carla. I'm sure Aunt Lee must be tired by now. There's always tomorrow." He slid down from his stool and stifled a yawn with one of his small hands. He grasped one of his sister's with the other. "I'm tired. Let's go to bed now, **th**sis," he lisped.

Carla pouted and wrenched her hand free from her little brother's grasp. "Well I'm not. Go to bed by yourself."

Zachary lowered his head and mumbled, "But Carla, you know I'm s**th**cared of the dark."

Carla turned her head in the other direction, adamant that she would not retire to bed.

Joseph kneeled down before both of them. He pulled Zachary, who was on the verge of tears, over to him and beckoned Carla to come closer.

When she did, he began, "Now Carla, be nice to your brother. Just go to bed a bit early tonight, okay. Besides, Aunt Lee and I need to talk."

Carla's eyes became downcast for a moment. Joseph felt like a jagged sword was being pulled out of his body. He hated to be the one who would add to Carla's and Zachary's misery. Both were disappointed by their parents enough – there was no need for him to make it worse.

Carla hesitated, "Can we make a deal?" A tinge of hope dusted her voice.

"Sure." Joseph lifted Zachary into his arms. The poor lad had fallen asleep.

"Will you stay to play with us one day? Please?"

Joseph kissed Carla on the forehead. "Of course Carla. You know I'd do anything for both of you."

Carla smiled then took hold of his hand. "It's off to bed then."

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><p>In a few moments Joseph was seated beside his wife in the living room. Both thought the change of scenery and atmosphere to be relaxing. Chan-Lee had her head rested in the crook of her husband's neck. "What was wrong with Lucas?"<p>

Joseph released an instinctive sigh on hearing that name. His grip tightened around her waist. Chan furrowed her eyebrows with worry. Lifting her head from his neck, she examined his face carefully. "Sweetheart?" she stroked his cheek with her delicate fingers.

Joseph told her everything that happened between him and Lucas. He began tugging on his hair and rambling on and on about how guilty he felt, and at how terrible he must have made him feel.

Chan-Lee, well accustomed to her mate's outpouring of emotions, just held him close until he calmed down. She discovered that that was one of the only ways to effectively shut him up. "We'll deal with everything tomorrow, dear."

Joseph gave her a grateful and understanding smile before changing the topic. "Those two really have wonderful children."

Chan-Lee's eyes lit up at the mention of her two little balls of sunshine. "Aren't they the sweetest things?! I can't understand how Lucas can bear to leave them alone for so long."

"And disappoint them so often," he finished, averting his gaze to the mantelpiece nearby.

She pinched his cheek, then said, "We can just talk it over with him tomorrow. More importantly, I notice that you've been a bit warmer and more hospitable to them now."

Joseph looked down at her, but she stared down into her lap.

"I know how you feel about little children, so I wouldn't want to force you to interact with them much. It's just that I'm glad that you're bonding with them…" Her breath caught in her throat. She began to wonder how they even came to the touchy subject.

She let out a small gasp when Joseph pulled her closer to his warm body and buried his face in her hair. "I'll have to get used to them sooner or later. I know how much you want little ones to call your own."

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><p><strong>Mmm. I actually don't like little kids. I find them annoying and I don't know how to please them, so that makes it worse.<strong>

**I tried baking an orange cake earlier this evening. It came out okay. Just okay - not awesome like the chocolate one I baked a few weeks back. **

**Actually, I'm also not a big fan of baking. That's because I hate dealing with flour. I love eating, though, so as a gift from me to you, here is a foodie quote:**

_**"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." **_  
><em><strong> - Mark Twain<strong>_


	4. Remember

**Yep. I'm staying up for you people. If I keep this up much longer, I'll end up with sagging skin and RSI. Still love you guys though! =)**

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><p><em><strong>REMEMBER<strong>_

Lucas slowly cracked an eyelid open. He was lying down on a strangely familiar bed in a strangely familiar room. With great effort, he pushed himself into a sitting position, but almost reeled backwards from an immense pain that shot through his skull. Moaning, he leaned his head against the cushioned headboard, regretting the moment he got up.

Strangely, he could remember nothing of the previous day except that he was driving home as quickly as possible because he was so eager to see his wife and children.

His wife.

Alice.

_Alice. I don't know what it is but I can't shake the feeling that something unpleasant went on between us._

While he was desperately trying to corral his memories, Chan-Lee entered. She held a bottle of pills, a plastic cup and an icepack in her hands. "Ah. You're up early."

He cracked an eye open and greeted her with a moan of discomfort.

"Now that's no way to say hello to someone you haven't seen in months," she cooed. She approached the bed and placed her things on it. She then placed a hand on his forehead. Cold sweat decorated it, however, his skin felt as if it were on fire.

Showing no mercy as he was a doctor, Chan threw the cool icepack onto him and opened one of the windows. Lucas shot her an agitated glance before picking the pack up and placing it on his forehead and examining the contents of the pill bottle.

In short order she returned with the little cup full of water and handed it to him. Staring out the window, she asked with a hint of worry in her voice, "Can you remember any of what happened to you yesterday?" Joseph hsd instructed her not to pry or force him to speak, but he hadn't said anything about not bringing up the topic.

After gulping down the water and two tablets, Lucas assured her that nothing of the previous day had entered his memory except for his flight.

She sighed deeply then excused herself on the premise that she would carry him a light breakfast.

He nodded then turned his attention towards the scenery outside. Being up for a bit and the reduction of his partially high temperature made him feel much better already, so he was obliged to turn to get a better view of the outdoors.

Based on the clock in his room, it was well into the morning, however, there was not a streak of sunlight to be seen. The sky seemed crammed with thunderclouds, and a cool breeze was bending the trees backwards. A thick fog also covered the landscape not too far from the house.

Contrary to everyone's belief, this kind of weather was the type that Alice loved the most.

Alice. _Why am I not with her? Come to think of it, why am I not home with Zachary and Carla? Neh...I was so eager to arrive yesterday, so how did I manage to be here, at Joe's home? _

Suddenly, a shrill shriek was heard downstairs. Lucas identified it as Carla's voice. "No Uncle Jay, you **cheated** - I want a rematch!"

A softer retort could be heard a bit after, "I won fair and square, but I'll give you a go. I bet I'll beat you again too."

Cheated. Why did that word stand out to him so much? _Cheated? Cheated...Cheated. Cheat-_

_Cheated! _

Lucas instantly dropped the icepack which unfortunately fell out the window. All his memories came rushing back to him like a charging bull. He groaned in frustration when he recalled all of the humiliation he'd been put through - both at the bar and in his own home.

He almost threw up at the revolting memories.

His imagination started roaming. He wondered at how many other guys she had seen, how long she took to plan her little schemes, and what they'd do together while he was gone.

His strength dissipated and his grey eyes grew colder by the second. Just then, Chan stepped in with a tray of food with her husband right behind her. _Perfect timing._

Lucas slumped onto the bed and stared at his feet. "Hey, what's happening? You were up and fine just a few minutes ago and just a moment after I step out you get all gloomy." Chan placed the tray on a nightstand and placed a hand on her hip.

"Good morning," the blonde greeted him, running a hand through his hair.

Remembering his careless behaviour, Lucas paled and tightened his grip on the sheets. Joseph noticed his expression and made an honest effort to assure him that everything that he said the night before was just an offshoot of his anger and nothing more.

"I think you would feel better if you tell us what happened," Chan piped. "Keeping everything bagged in doesn't help." She helped him up then took a seat beside him, observing how he timidly pulled his knees to his chest, something that none of them had seen him do for years.

"Just yesterday, as soon as I came home, I discovered that Alice was cheating on me. "

Chan's mouth fell open. "Are you sure it's not just some misunderstanding? Alice wouldn't do something like that to you..."

Lucas laughed bitterly. "That's what I thought too. But then the evidence was right before me. She was trying to sneak the guy out back, and she looked heated, like they'd just cut a round short. She even told me that they'd been at it for a while now."

"Are you sure she wasn't lying about the last part?" Chan muttered, trying hard to understand.

"I know when my _wife_ is lying." He spat out the word with such venom that Joseph flinched.

Then the irony of his statement hit him. He closed his eyes and smiled sadly.

"I say that, yet I'm the one who's been fooled and blinded for months on end. How much more pathetic can a guy get? Then again, it's my fault. If I hadn't left her alone so much then she probably wouldn't have done that."

Joseph watched in near horror as his friend continued to assault himself verbally. It began to bring unwelcome memories back to mind.

He got up and stood beside Lucas. "Your kids are downstairs. They're itching to see you."

Lucas' eyes softened a bit and he smiled (this time a genuine one) down at the sheets.

"C-can you send them up please. I'd love to be alone with them for a while."

Upon hearing that their daddy wanted to see them, Zachary and Carla bolted up the stairs and into the room.

Carla stood near his bed and held onto his hand with an ear to ear grin. Zachary, always more expressive and affectionate climbed onto his father's lap, wrapped his arms around his neck and wept. Lucas cradled him and kissed him on the forehead.

Feeling a bit jealous, Carla crawled onto the bed too and cuddled beside him.

"I missed you so much." He hugged both of them and looked at them tenderly.

Eventually they let go and sat beside him. Lucas stroked his chin contemplatively. "Carla, your hair's gotten longer, and Zack, I notice you've got a tooth missing."

An evil glint appeared in Carla's eyes. She stretched up and grabbed a tiny portion of her father's hair. "Daddy, you've got some grey hairs there."

Lucas gasped in fake astonishment, then all three collapsed, laughing.

His kids really were a blessing. They'd been the first bit of happiness he'd received since he arrived.

They talked and talked about their lives while he was away, but just before he fell asleep Carla asked him, "Daddy, are you okay?"

"Mm? No Carla. Daddy's sick. He doesn't know when he'll feel better."

"Daddy won't die, right?"

Lucas froze, and Zachary started crying again.

He held his children closer to them then said in a soothing voice, "No. Daddy won't die."

* * *

><p>Joseph sat in the den in his sibling's home. Alice sat across from him in an easy chair, admiring a wall painting. She knew why he was there, and she didn't have the courage to face him.<p>

He clenched his fists. "He's going back to the way he was before. All because of your carelessness."

Alice flinched slightly. She knew what she did had hurt Lucas but she never had a clue that it would hurt him so much. Keeping her resolve, Alice leaned forward and scooped up a few papers from the coffee table. She walked over to him with the partially filled forms.

Staring directly at him, she ordered, "Give these to Lucas please. Tell him to keep a copy for himself. We can discuss the matter of the children a week later at the reunion."

Joseph's eyes widened when he saw the heading on the sheets, however, he kept his mouth clamped shut and left, never once looking back.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for the usual hospitality guys, " Lucas mumbled<p>

"Don't mention it. We're family, right?" Chan-Lee gave him a pleasant smile.

"I'll miss you two. I hope you'll come to the reunion next week. Your old friends will be there, so make sure you're early." She stooped down and hugged her niece and nephew before straightening up and looking at Lucas in worry.

"Are you sure that you will be fine?" Joseph asked.

Lucas nodded, still not making any eye contact with him.

Joseph stretched out his hand. He looked at it for a few seconds then brought his slightly smaller one to meet it. For the first time since his arrival, Lucas made eye contact with an adult, even though he could only retain it for a few seconds before looking away.

Chan and Joe had dropped the three at the bar Lucas had been to the night before so that he could collect his vehicle, and carry his children to an old house he had bought as a vacation home in the hillside a few years back.

It's not that Alice had kicked him out. Even if she wanted to she couldn't because both of them had bought it together. He just couldn't stand being in the same house as that woman. Plus, this way, his intuitive kids wouldn't sense anything wrong with their dad taking them for a one week vacation.

Lucas got in and started the car. He urged Zachary who refused to let go of Chan's leg to get inside too. After much persuasion and prying, both families parted ways.

After driving for a few hours, Lucas turned onto a graveled driveway. It ran up bordered by trees for a short distance until it spread out into a parking area just before a cozy looking detached house. He parked then got out, fumbling with a bunch of keys. Carla and Zachary scrambled out of the car and ran over to a little shaded area beside the house with a set of swings attached to two trees.

Lucas smiled at them and opened the front door. It was large and made of varnished wood which complemented the windows on the first and second stories. Vines crept up to one of the windows on the second floor, clinging to the grooves in the brick wall for dear life. Before the entrance was a lattice fence encasing a few hardy flowers.

"Carla, Zachary! It's time to unpack."

The two children reluctantly left the swings and entered the building. Inside, the floor was made of smoothed concrete. A large green rug lay in the middle of the room with a rustic coffee table sitting on top of it. Three single wicker chairs stood around it, plush cushions sewn into the seats. To the far left of the room, a spiral staircase with black welded railings stretched up to the second floor. Several potted plants and depictions of nature hung on the pastel walls.

Carla raced Zachary upstairs, but he stopped, out of breath half of the way. Lucas scooped him up and followed Carla into one of the rooms she chose for herself.

Lucas plopped his son onto the bed in the small room and opened the bags that he had placed on it before. Carla climbed up to the top of the bed and drew the curtains aside, letting in the soft afternoon light, and giving a lovely view of the backyard.

Lucas sat down cross legged and thrust his hand inside of the bag.

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

"Don't you think it's really pretty out here?" Carla smiled down at the hedge.

Lucas nodded in reply and folded a shirt.

"I-I wish Mommy was here. She likes it here." Zachary played with the hem of his father's shirt.

Carla immediately narrowed her eyes. "Why didn't you pick up Mommy?"

Lucas turned to face them, mellow gray eyes regarding them softly.

"Can't I spend quality time with my children anymore Carla?"

She bit down on her lip. Having her mother around served as a buffer. She wouldn't create too many memories with her dad, so it would be easier for her when he left again.

"Come here."

Carla obeyed, and allowed herself to be enveloped in his arms.

"I know what you're thinking and I'm sorry. If I told you to stop, then I'd be selfish. Your mother is a bit tired, so she wants to rest at home alone for a few days. Just a week won't hurt, will it, Peach?"

Carla coloured at the well remembered nickname bit Lucas on the arm. "I guess not, Seaweed!"

She stuck out her tongue at him, and they all laughed cheerfully.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm exhausted, so on to the thought.<strong>

_**"I think insomnia is a sign that a person is interesting." **_

_**- Avery Sawyer**_

**I'm kind of an insomniac, so I guess that makes me interesting. Oyasumi!**

**~Anne Callendar**


	5. Family?

**Yeah. I'm back. Summer has officially started for me (well, since July 1) and I'm in 11th grade come September. Woohoo! More stress!**

**By the way, I've been scanning my previous chapters and I've noticed something extremely embarrassing. I haven't thanked my few reviewers publicly yet (I've only done that in private)! So, thanks to , AliceGI, and Lucy. Also thanks again to AliceGI for supporting my other story, Behind Closed Doors.**

**Without further ado, I give you the fifth chapter of this fic. Enjoy.**

_Italics_ **for emphasis, thoughts, and a flashback.**

* * *

><p><strong>FAMILY?<strong>

Alice pushed the large double glass doors of her workplace open. Her heels clicked along the shining, sterile tiles. She went up to the front desk where she was greeted by a warm smile. "Good morning Alice. How has your break been?" a woman with blue eyes short blue hair and a charming smile asked.

Alice sighed deeply and leaned against the granite counter. "I wish it was longer. I got no rest at all." Her nimble fingers removed the lanyard with her identification card from around her neck and the lady accepted it gracefully.

She entered a code into a small device and swiped Alice's card through a slot. While she returned it, worried blue eyes met with tired chocolate ones.

"How is _that_?"

Alice froze then smiled sadly. "There's nothing to worry about." She took the card from the receptionist and replaced it around her neck.

"But…"

"Mylene." Said woman shut her mouth instantly as Alice shook her head slowly. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Mylene smiled and before Alice left, she told her where to find her schedule of appointments and files on each case.

Alice walked swiftly down the hallway, took an elevator, and then some more hallways. It was early, so the place was still relatively empty. As soon as she entered her office, she sucked in the air. A fond smile framed her features as she took it in. There was her oak work desk in the middle – dusted with files neatly piled on it; in one corner of the room was a metal examination table and a metal cabinet stood nearby. Diagrams of animals' body systems decorated the walls and a bookshelf was laden with veterinary and animal care books. Apart from the typical layout, hers was one of the few rooms which had warmth and personality. She inspected the leaves of each of the indoor plants that she had and, when satisfied, glided over to some vertical PVC blinds which hid a set of sliding doors that led out to a comfy balcony with a beautiful view.

She toyed with the blinds for a bit while eyeing her cell on her desk worriedly. She hadn't exactly called Martin to check if he was okay…

Just then, her work phone rang. She moved across to her table and perched on it while answering the device in a professional tone.

"Oh. It's you Mylene."

"…" Alice checked the very first file on her desk then nodded.

"Yes, yes. Send them right in."

The call ended and Alice took her place around her desk and began leafing through the file. The patient had been examined before and was only being returned for a shot and a final check-up.

In a few moments, three sharp knocks came on the door. Alice pressed the buzzer to let them in.

A middle aged woman led her son inside. The boy's face was lightly splayed with freckles. In his arms he held a fleshy Beagle – white with brown patches.

"Well hello there," she sat forward in her chair and eyed the trio with enthusiasm.

"Hi Miss!" the boy greeted cheerfully. The lady gave her a friendly smile.

"What's your name?"

"Zane Gilmore. This is my dog Rufus."

"Aah. So you must be Ms. Gilmore." The lady nodded. "Can I borrow Rufus for a bit Zane?"

"Sure Miss. He's a bit sick, so mommy and I took him here so you could make him better." All three rose and went over to the examination table. She spread the paper over it and placed Rufus on it. As she slipped on some gloves she began talking with the boy to distract him while his mother kept him a safe distance away from the table.

"You know Zane you remind me a lot of my son." A sad smile rested on her lips, however, her eyes were cold and her hands worked expertly.

"Really? You have a son?"

"Yeah. A daughter too. A picture's on my desk." Zane rushed to her desk to scrutinize it.

"I don't look anything like him. What's so similar between us?"

"Well for one thing, he has freckles too, but they're on his neck. You have the same initials – ZN – Zachary Grendahay and Zane Gilmore. He loves Beagles too."

Zane chuckled. "You're a really funny doctor."

Ms. Gilmore stared at Alice's back knowingly. She spoke with such a faraway tone in her voice. She watched intently as Alice glanced into the file, then methodically reached into the filing cabinet and prepared a dose of Cartrophen for Rufus.

"This will only sting a little." Rufus whined and fidgeted for a bit during and after the injection and only after Zane hugged him and rubbed his fleshy tummy did he calm down.

Alice turned to the mother and son and said, "Now I want you two to listen carefully. The vet that checked on Rufus before might have already told you this, but, he has arthritis. I gave him a shot of Cartrophen, but you'll need to come back one day in each week for three weeks for another shot. You also need to make sure that he's eating healthy, and judging from his age, ensure that he does some mild exercise."

Zane looked up at his mother, who was busy scribbling away in a notepad. When she had finished, he thanked Alice with a toothy grin and started out of the office. Ms. Gilmore waved farewell and mouthed something about good luck with the family.

The young woman stood dumbstruck when the door swung shut. _Am I that easy to read?_

And so the day lazed on. Alice dealt with two more patients before heading down to the common room for lunch. She snapped her fingers to an upbeat rhythm that rang from her earphones (something quite uncharacteristic for her to do on the job) and through her ear canal. The common room could get pretty lonely if you didn't have many friends to chat with, and unfortunately for her, not many of her good friends worked where she did.

Walking past all the doctors, janitors, nurses and secretaries white coats and suits, Alice filled her plate with an assortment of seemingly tasty food and only retreated when she found the perfect bottle of milk in the refrigerator. She plopped down at one of the tables and started her meal.

While she was in the middle of munching a cheese sandwich, Hydron and Mira sat before her. "Hey Alice. Nice to see you back at work."

She raised her head from her plate and waved a hand at them.

Mira pouted as she stabbed a piece of beef. "You're so lucky. You get to have time off to spend with your family."

"By the way, how are they?" Hydron inquired, twirling a lock of his silky hair.

Alice slowed her chewing and gulped. "Okay. The whole family's doing great," she lied. "Lucas just returned, so we're all going to a reunion in about two or three days."

"That's great."

Mira was about to speak when her phone rang. She excused herself and fumbled about in her pocket to answer it. Meanwhile, a sharp pang ripped through Alice's chest. She tightly gripped the milk bottle with a sweaty hand and bit down on her lip.

Hydron raised an eyebrow but thought against asking any questions.

When Mira hung up, the woman had recovered a bit. "Hey Alice, now that you're back and free for the rest of the day, Head Doctor Zenoheld wants you to join us after lunch."

"We're making our special blend of medication for our sister branch in Otake."

Alice smiled at them gratefully. "Sure. I was getting pretty bored anyway."

* * *

><p>"<em>~One more spoon of cough syrup now. O-oh~<em>" Mira hummed softly as she poured a clear liquid into a beaker.

"I really don't see why you like that song so much," Hydron snorted.

"But it's so suitable for the occasion." Alice chuckled.

Mira ignored both of them and continued singing. "_~If I could find a way to see this straight, I'd run away…~_"

"Mira!" He levelled the woman with a cold stare. She swung around and practically shrieked the following chorus.

"_~I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down!~_"

Hydron carefully placed his things down and Mira did likewise. She tackled him and he bumped into the counter. The redhead thrust her hands into his hair and pulled him down to her level. He winced but obeyed, interested to see where things were going.

Mira rest her head on his chest and closed her eyes, tugging harshly on the strands. She kept on singing.

"_~Life's too short to even care at all, oh~_"

Alice smiled at the two. Just then, the words replayed in her mind. _Life's too short…Life's too short_. The pain in her chest resurfaced and she turned away so that the couple wouldn't see the panic and pain in her eyes; the way she clutched her chest; the way her lips trembled slightly.

Hydron kept pleading with Mira to stop, but seeing that she was unrelenting, he lowered his head and kissed her softly on the lips.

The woman's eyes snapped open and her face coloured. "Stupid Hydron! You can't do that here! Alice is in the room too!" She released his hair and he smiled sheepishly.

At hearing her name, Alice forced herself to regain her composure. Swinging around to them she said, "Sheesh. Are you guys really adults?"

Hydron returned to his station instantly and muttered something about Mira being dumb and Alice being mean.

They worked for the rest of the afternoon without much chatter until closing time.

Alice stretched her back when she had placed the last tube of medication into the refrigerator. "Well, that's the last of it." She checked the time then turned to Mira and Hydron. "Are you guys leaving now?"

"Not yet. I'm staying behind to help Mira with some files she has to look over." Hydron flexed his wrists.

"Alright. Just be safe, okay. You know how dangerous it is at night…" Alice started for the door.

"No problem Alice. We'll be fine. See you tomorrow?"

"Not exactly. I haven't really told anyone yet, but Zenoheld and I agreed that I'd just come in today to see how things were going. My leave isn't exactly up."

Mira choked. "Unfair!" she wailed. Alice grinned and scratched the back of her head.

"Shut up baka," Hydron teased. "Anyway, I hope you have fun at your reunion, and if there's anything you need, then remember we're always available."

"Oh, and Alice, before you go, here." Mira handed her a gift bag. "Just a little something for the kids. Take care."

"Thanks guys and bye."

Alice held the gift bag tightly and smiled the whole way out of the building. Those two and Mylene were some of the few people that actually made her life at work more enjoyable than she could possibly imagine.

The warmth that enveloped her slowly dissipated as she drove home, and when she got inside, even though she lit the fireplace and turned on all the lights, shivers still coursed through her body.

As she sat around the dining table, she could hardly find it within her to finish one of the microwavable dinners from her stash.

_Ugh. Things weren't supposed to be this difficult. I mean, it'll all work out in the end. I at least have to put on a brave face for the next two weeks. That shouldn't be too hard._

With new found determination, she forced the rest of her food down and marched into her room, dragging out a suitcase and two travelling bags.

* * *

><p>Lucas paused for a moment and wiped some sweat from his brow. Carla and Zachary were playing in the front yard and he had just completed the task of weeding the flower garden. His clothes were a mess and he was starting to get a headache – not only because of heat and exhaustion, but also of mental stress.<p>

Sure his brother-in-law had told him to try to relax, but it was easier said than done. Alice would be coming later that day and he just couldn't shake off his dependence on her. It was so pathetic that it embarrassed him and badly cut down the confidence that he developed over the years.

He felt intimidated by anyone and it was just so frustrating. He disgusted himself so much that he didn't even want to see his own reflection. His high school nightmare was returning and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Deep down he knew that she was the cause of all of this, but he couldn't stop loving her. There was no way that he could hate her, and trust me, he sure did try. That only pushed his weaknesses in his face more and more and he began hating himself more and more.

Nowadays, he was feeling very emotional and sometimes even masochistic, and if it weren't for his children by his side, maybe he would have sent himself to a hospital or taken up residence in a mental institution.

With a sigh, he wiped his dirty hands on his pants and went inside for a shower. It's not like his children couldn't take care of themselves for a bit, and besides, nobody else came that way.

Lucas moaned as the cool water poured in cascades down his skin. He just stood there, letting the spray purify his dirty body. His mind involuntarily flitted to the little scene that played out back at his house. He remembered how flushed Alice had looked. He remembered how far away her eyes had seemed. He remembered the trail of love bites that riddled her neck and collarbone and how she stood with her legs slightly further apart.

_In addition to being a horrible father and a suckish husband, I couldn't even satisfy her sexually. I guess Father was right. I don't deserve to be called a man_.

He laughed bitterly and closed his eyes. After about ten minutes he got out and dressed himself, avoiding the mirror completely and smoothing his hair with his hands.

Carla and Zachary had moved into the kitchen downstairs, waiting to be fed.

Lucas leaned in the doorway and watched them fondly. Carla was playing with the unusual turquoise streaks in her hair. When she got bored with that, she started teasing Zachary about his missing tooth and the freckles on his neck. He pressed his small hands to his ears and hummed one of his favourite Disney songs.

Sighing again, Lucas strolled in and playfully tugged on his daughter's turquoise streaks. She stuck her tongue out at him and started to complain about how hungry she was.

"Carl, we get to tas**th**te Daddy's cooking!" Zach bounced happily in his seat.

Carla tried to hide her excitement. "I said to stop calling me that! Pappa isn't that great a cook anyway."

Zachary kept bouncing and turned his light brown eyes to his father who took out some groceries Chan had gotten for him the day before. "You're just a big meanie Carl. S**th**top trying to act like a grown up. Daddy's cooking is the bes**th**t."

Carla frowned. What he said was true. In fact, it was true for both of them. Zachary was just five and Carla was eight and both of them acted older than they really were. That was one of the reasons why Joseph was able to tolerate them.

They rambled on and on while Lucas listened to them. He actually felt a shard of happiness when they were there and chatting away innocently. Well, at least until they heard a car pull up the driveway. The two stopped talking and turned to the entrance. A key turned in the lock and the person entered.

"Afternoon," she greeted.

Lucas nearly chopped his index finger clean off. The children rushed to their mother and whimpered about how much they missed her.

"Mommy, Daddy is making lunch for us. Don't you want some too?" Zachary led her to a seat, eyes shining.

Alice stole a glance at Lucas who tensely arranged sandwiches on a platter. "Sure."

Luckily for him, Carla and Zachary dominated the conversation with their mother. They didn't notice how stiff he was when he placed the platter of cheese sandwiches and bowls of tomato soup on the table. When done serving, he left the room and went outside for some fresh air.

He had lost his appetite. Whenever he cooked anything, he didn't really feel like eating after, but before Alice came he was planning to stuff a little down. Now that she was here, his stomach was so unsettled that he feared that anything that he ate would just come right back up.

Staying around her was doing him no good, so he decided to go for a walk. A long one. They could talk in the night when the children had gone to bed.

He moved briskly, hoping that the exhilaration would clear his mind at least a little. He passed vineyards and wheat fields, and one or two orchards. Eventually, he decided to scale a picket fence and climb up a grassy hill not too far from the road. There was a cluster of apple trees near to its crest and he settled under the shelter of one of them.

It was a beautiful afternoon. Wind whipped his hair about his face and even broke the stems of a few apples on the trees, causing them to fall to the ground. It was so peaceful and quiet that he dozed off.

* * *

><p><em>Alice laughed melodiously. Her yellow sundress flew about her and she had to place a hand on her head to secure her hat. She carried a picnic basket in the other hand while Lucas followed close behind, leading two horses – one grey and one brown. He unharnessed them and helped Alice to set up the picnic area. They ate and told jokes and after some coaxing, Lucas had managed to get her to tell him one of her stories. She always told him ones with happy endings – never bittersweet or sour. He ended up falling asleep beside her...<em>

_Lucas' eyes slowly fluttered open. There was a moist, tickling sensation on his scalp and his hair was being tugged on gently._

_ "Alice quit it," he moaned. He tried swatting her hand away, but instead of smooth flesh and fingers, he felt warm leathery skin. _

_Alice handed the startled boy a mirror and when he looked into it, he saw that his grey horse, Mitch, was nibbling happily on his hair. _

_"Mitch! You know well enough that my hair isn't food. Let go!"_

_The horse spitefully tugged on it before leaving the humans alone to attend to its partner. Lucas winced and Alice kneeled in front of him massaging his scalp with both hands. "That was Mitch's way of telling you to wake up."_

_At that, Lucas looked around him and slapped himself on the forehead. It was nearly evening and the sun's rays were growing softer and weaker. His action had made Alice lose her balance and fall onto him. Both of them lost their balance. Alice's body stretched out on Lucas' and her hands were on either side of his head. _

_Her face was flushed "I-It's okay, really. You've only been out for about thirty minutes."_

_Lucas shook his head. "No. I invited you here, so I shouldn't have fallen asleep." His eyes slipped down to her lips for a moment._

"_Let…Let me make it up to you."_

_ He supported her back with his hand and sat up. Ever so slowly, he inched closer to her lips. Alice didn't move. He closed the distance between them and kissed her passionately. After hesitating for a bit, he parted her lips with his tongue and explored her warm mouth. She kissed him back fervently, letting him pull her closer. He ran his hand down her spinal cord and she arched her back and moaned into him. Alice bit his lip lightly and he sighed into her before deepening the kiss._

_However, he soon pulled away and dragged his nose down her throat. Alice smiled down at him as he hid his face in the crook of her neck. His lips were tinted pink and heat radiated off his face. She stroked his hair gently, knowing that he was nowhere near ready to go any further. It was the first time that he had ever initiated a kiss, much less a French one. She was always the one to start because he was too shy and unsure of himself to do so._

"_You're making progress I see," she teased. Lucas' head snapped up and he reddened even more in embarrassment._

_She laughed and kissed him on the nose. "You're really cute when you blush." Lucas pouted and turned his head away, earning another laugh from her._

* * *

><p><strong>I sincerely apologize if there are any spelling or grammatical errors in this work.<strong>

**Notice:**

**I have never kissed a guy before. I have never seen anyone French kiss for real (only in the movies). In addition to that, I have never had intercourse with anyone or asked anyone what it was like. I just happen to be a mature 15 year old who reads a lot and has a vivid imagination. By the way, sex before marriage isn't cool, so all you virgins, try not to fornicate.**

**Just thought that I should tell you that. :)**

**I also said before that I really don't like little kids, that's why Carla and Zachary are mature.**

**If you're wondering why I make mention of sadism or masochism in most of my writings, then it's because I have this weird fascination with them. No. I am neither sadistic nor masochistic nor a serial killer.**

**I love horses.**

**To bring an end to all of this randomness in my AN, here art thy thought:**

_**'One reason why birds and horses are happy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses.' **_

_** ~Dale Carnegie**_

_**Sayonara mina! ~Anne Callendar**_

_**Oh... Reviews are welcome you know. Just saying...**_


	6. Haunting Memories

**Halo halo. Yup yup yup. I'm back back back. Enjoy enjoy enjoy. It's one of my odd hour updates and please, enjoy the 3,900k+ words of goodness. Please excuse any errors if present.**

* * *

><p><strong>HAUNTING MEMEORIES<strong>

_Alice stroked Lucas' hair gently and looked down at him lovingly. The fading sunshine illuminated his soft features. _

"_Lu," she whispered._

_Lucas slowly opened his eyes and regarded her carefully._

_She smiled at him gently. "You don't have to push yourself. I know that you aren't ready and it would be very selfish of me to prod you to progress our relationship. It took you a lot of courage to kiss me, didn't it?"_

_At that moment, Lucas tried to turn his head away from Alice, but she cupped his cheeks and pulled him to face her._

_He quickly averted his gaze and settled with glaring at Mitch and his partner._

_"Hey! Look at me," she ordered. _

_Slowly he obeyed her command. _

_"I just want you to know that I'm not forcing you to do anything that you don't want to do."_

_"I just want to make you happy," he blurted out._

_Alice moved forward and chastely kissed him. "You already are."_

_"R-really? I thought I was doing a terrible job..."_

_Alice sighed and looked at him hopelessly. "When will you learn to value yourself a little more?" she muttered._

_He placed his hands on hers and brought them down from his face._

_"Lu, what's wrong? Your hands are shaking..."_

_"I-I'm just a bit nervous."_

_Alice opened her mouth to ask him what he was so nervous about, but he cut her off._

_He stared at the blanket between them. "U-um...Remember the night that you found me drunk? Well, I've been counting and today makes it one year since that incident happened. I realized that even after you told me how you felt about me, I never really did anything to show my gratitude. I had been thinking about what to give to you for some time and I finally came up with this. It's nothing much, but I hope you appreciate it."_

_He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flat rectangular black velvet box. He took the cover off and held up a beautiful necklace that shimmered in the sunlight. A delicate silver chain supported a finely wrought atom. The four shells that intersected one another were also skilfully crafted with silver, and at the atom's nucleus was a perfectly round amethyst gemstone._

_"It's supposed to be something like a friendship bracelet. Even though it's childish, I liked the idea, and it suits the occasion. Alice, you dragged me out of my darkness. You reached out to me, and didn't judge me, no matter what I did or said. You are the first person who's never scorned me for my habits or history or personality. You're the first who's ever stayed. I know I haven't done anything to deserve it, but, Alice Gehabich, let this token symbolize our friendship."_

_Alice threw her arms around Lucas. She hugged him tightly, and some of her tears dampened his collar._

_"You're free to grind it to dust any day you choose."_

_"Stop saying those things. You may not see it, but you're a great help, and whenever you're with me I feel like I'm on top of the world. Thank you so much! The necklace is beautiful."_

_"I'm glad you like it." He clasped it around her neck and brushed some of her hair that was covering it aside._

_Just then, a mischievous glint flashed in Alice's eyes and she grinned deviously. "You said this was a friendship necklace, right? Where's yours? Don't they come in pairs? Both friends have to have a piece, don't they?"_

_Lucas coloured instantly. "Y-yes I have mine, but I just haven't worn it in public yet," he sputtered._

_Alice cooed, "Come on. Put on yours. You'd look absolutely adorable in a necklace."_

_"It's not a necklace..."_

_"Wait! Don't tell me! Let's make this interesting. If I guess right in three tries, then you have to wear it as long as I wear mine."_

_She started guessing before he could decline. "Let's see... Is it a ring?"_

_Lucas shook his head._

_"An anklet?"_

_He flinched but shook his head. Alice noticed and purred._

_"I see...It's a bracelet, isn't it?"_

_Lucas moaned, then pulled out a matching bracelet and fastened it to his left hand._

_Alice lifted his hand to the sunlight and smiled. "I can see why you're embarrassed. It accentuates your small feminine hands perfectly!"_

_Lucas childishly puffed out his cheeks and whined. She laughed. He sat back on his hands and watched as she covered her mouth with a hand and he smiled sadly at the beautiful sound that escaped her lips._

_'I don't deserve her.'_

_After a while, Alice sobered down. She looked up at Lucas curiously. "Hey...I was wondering why you're so...you know...uncomfortable with deepening our relationship." She played with the atom on the end of her necklace._

_"I'm scared," Lucas whispered. At that moment, Mitch and Sally, the other horse, lay down behind him._

_Alice's head shot up. "Scared? Of what?"_

_He gripped the blanket. "I feel like I'm sinking deeper and deeper into a pool with tall slippery walls all around it. No matter how hard I try to swim up, I keep sinking deeper..."_

_"What are you trying to say?"_

_"I'm saying that I'm scared of becoming too involved with you. I'm afraid that you'll find someone better and leave me behind when I'm already deeply in love with you."_

_"Is that why you've been distancing yourself from us these past few days?"_

_"Yes...It hurts to know that you guys will go...but what scares me is that I don't know when."_

_Alice moved closer to him. "What makes you think we'll leave?"_

_"You just will. They always do." He was haunted by memories of his mother turning her back on him, his adopted sister taunting him, his father scorning him, and his dear brother drowning in his own blood._

_He didn't notice when Alice wrapped him into a tight embrace, or when she started stroking his hair and kissing his forehead._

_"Please Lu. Just give us a chance. I promise none of us will ever hurt you. As for me, let me drag you down to the floor of that pool, and let me prove to you that you will be the only guy I'll ever love, despite your flaws."_

_"S-stop... I don't deserve you. I don't want to trap you... I'm tired of being a burden."_

_"You are not a burden. Not to me or anyone else. Don't hold me in such high regard either. I have lots of faults. Just...Just give us a chance."_

_She slid her forehead down to his and kissed him passionately and by no means chastely. She pushed him back against Mitch and deepened the kiss._

_'Sometimes we need to be prodded to move forward.'_

_After breaking apart for air, she slid her lips down his exposed neck and began kissing, nibbling and sucking on a random spot._

_Lucas kept silent and only flinched when she bit too hard. He wouldn't stop her. He knew that's what she wanted, and he knew she was frustrated with him._

_When she was satisfied, she glanced up at him._

_"You liked it, didn't you?"_

_He tensed, but nodded all the same._

_"If you don't go for what you want, then you will never get anywhere." She crawled off of him and started packing up. "Come on Louisa!"she teased. "The sun set a few minutes ago."_

* * *

><p>Lucas cracked an eye open and looked at his watch. It was around six. <em>Wow. I really was tired.<em> He stretched and surveyed the area. There was a whole litter of apples around him, and nonchalantly, he picked up one and dropped it into a bag he saw near the tree.

Suddenly, Apple Pie seemed very appetizing.

He got up and scratched the back of his neck. _The squirts won't notice I'm gone anyway. A few more minutes can't possibly hurt._

And so, in an attempt to clear his mind, Lucas hummed an old French favourite of his while raiding the trees.

"That should be enough," he said after twenty minutes of picking and a bag that was practically bursting at the seams. _I can replace that later_. He gave the place a final once over then left.

Alice stood at the sink, arm deep in soapy water. Carla was upstairs reading to Zachary. A warm plate of mashed potatoes and roast beef with greens lay in wait for Lucas. She didn't even turn when she heard the door creak open and footsteps approaching the table.

"Evening," he forced out.

"Hey." Alice finished washing the dishes and sat before him. He had taken up the cutlery and started his meal. "You know why I'm here, right?"

"Let me guess. Because of the children and the reunion."

"And the divorce. I asked Joe to deliver these, but apparently he didn't."

She pushed some papers towards him.

He had already steeled his nerves on the way back so he was feeling much more confident.

Dropping his knife with a clatter, he lifted a hand and shook his head. "I have no intention of divorcing you." Alice's breath hitched in her throat not because of his words, but because of the glint of silver on his wrist that caught her eye. There, shining in all its glory was the matching bracelet to the necklace he gave to her so many years ago.

Her hand almost moved to the pocket of her pants to retrieve the necklace, but she caught herself just in time to hear what her husband was saying.

"I will not allow my children to suffer. All I want is for them to grow up with two supportive married parents. I've already spoiled Carla's childhood. I don't want to make Zach miserable either."

Alice grit her teeth. What he said was true, but divorce was the only way for them to fix this mess. She had caused irreparable damage, and there was no way that she could atone for her sin.

"Look…Let's just take things one step at a time then. We'll just focus on the reunion now and sort out this _issue_ at another time."

Lucas raised an eyebrow at the word _issue_, but kept silent.

"It will be a big problem if the others find out that we're separated. Joe and Chan already know. There's no need for anyone else to get involved." She spoke in a hushed tone while staring at the table.

"I think it would be best if we're not around each other. It'll only spark up emotions – well, on my part at least."

"True, that would be best," she replied, completely ignoring the last part of his sentence.

"If anyone asks let's tell them we made a bet." Lucas speared a piece of beef with his fork.

"A bet?" Alice looked at him, a bit confused.

"Yes. A bet. We can say that you made a deal with me to see how long we can stay away from each other and give each other the cold shoulder. The one who cracks first gets a prize."

"What will the prize be then?"

"It's a secret. The winner's choice of course."

"Alright. That should be good enough." _Of course it's perfect. It sounds exactly like some childish game that we'd play if we were still together. Apart from that, Lucas is taking this whole thing pretty well. He's recovered a lot since that day. _She was staring at the table for so long that she did not notice when he had finished his meal and rose from his seat.

"Well…are we done here?"

"Eh?! Oh…Yeah." She got up and trotted to her room, not failing to notice the huge bag of apples sitting on the floor. _Oh. So that's where he went to clear his mind. No doubt he's going to bake something. I might as well put those two to bed._

In the kitchen after washing his plate, Lucas donned an apron and a chef's hat. He grabbed a few huge bowls and filled some with water, then he sat around the table and began washing the scores of apples that he had brought home. Lucas Grendahay always baked when he was troubled or depressed or upset. The worse he felt, the longer he worked, and he was feeling really horrible right then.

After two and a half hours of carefully washing apples and removing the stems, he carefully dried them for another two hours and after that, he decided to turn his attention to the dough for the pastry. He cut and folded and kneaded fat into flour for two more hours and put the whole thing into the refrigerator. He then peeled some of the apples and made about three jugs full of apple juice.

At one o'clock, the man finally took a break. He went out the front door and collapsed onto one of the chairs on the veranda.

_My eyes feel like they're on the verge of withering and falling right out of my head, my feet and arms feel about ready to drop off, and my head feels ready to explode. Yet I still can't sleep._ His thoughts drifted back to a certain red head. _Wow. She didn't even show any remorse. She didn't look sorry or one bit regretful for what she did._ Shivers travelled down his spine at the cold heartedness of his wife. The sun wouldn't rise for a few more hours, and the dough was resting anyway, so he could afford to laze around for the time being. He lay back and stared up at the moon. For some reason, he couldn't clear his mind.

* * *

><p><em>Lucas stumbled into his apartment and locked the door behind him. He looked at the calendar. It was May 26. The anniversary of a day he wished he could blot out of his memory forever. He bolted to the wine cooler in his kitchen and pulled out a bottle of Osborne Sherry.<em>

_He reached up into a cupboard for a lighter and a box of cigarettes before plopping onto his sofa. Not even bothering to get a glass, he wrenched the cork off and took a long swig. After fumbling around with the lighter and a cigarette for a few seconds, he was comfortably stretched out in his sofa smoking and drinking and having a jolly good time cursing his father, mother, sister, and practically everyone else with a negative influence on his life._

_He was dragging himself back to his spot with another bottle of sherry when there was a knock on the door. He cursed under his breath and strode over to it. Flinging it open with an annoyed tone, he was slightly surprised to see a familiar red head staring at him wide eyed. _

"_What do you want?" he spat out. _

_Alice wanted to speak, but she was so shocked that no words came out. Getting more aggravated at her delayed response, Lucas dragged her inside and slammed her against the door, locking it shut at the same time. _

_She took in his appearance. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. He was dishevelled, with a full bottle of alcohol in his hands. His breath stank of it and cigarette smoke clawed at her lungs. His eyes were glazed over and his face flushed, but he looked angry and dangerous. He was feral._

_She wanted to run. She wanted to scream. She wanted to hide or call for help, but neither her legs nor his arms would let her. She stared at the ground in fear as he continued to survey her face._

"_Hey beautiful. You're the perfect addition to my celebration."_

_Alice shivered. He whispered into her ears, his breath ghosting across her neck, "Yeah. You're just like a present for me to unwrap."_

_Suddenly, all of the messages that her brain was sending to her limbs came through. She tried to wrench her hands free and pull away from him. That only angered him further and he twisted her wrists and pulled her body flush to his. Cold eyes stared into hers. "Hey. It's no fun if you go running about."_

"_Let go of me! Lucas get a grip!" she tried in vain to bring him back to his senses, however, he only began ravaging her neck._

"_Stop!" _

_Since begging didn't work, she pretended to snake her hands around his neck then dug her nails into it. When he pulled back, she stomped on his foot with her boots and grabbed the sherry bottle and crashed it into his stomach, praying that the shards of glass didn't stab him. Lucas fell to the ground unconscious. _

_When he woke up, his stomach was wrapped in bandages and a cool cloth was on his forehead. With great effort he sat up bed but his heart flipped when he saw Alice huddled up in a corner of his room. Each of her soft sobs felt like a blow to the chest._

'_Oh my goodness. What did I do to her?'_

_He crawled off the bed and stumbled to his feet. "A-Alice," he called as he hobbled over gripping his head. Judging by the size of his headache and the state of his room, he concluded that he had gotten drunk._

_Finally reaching her, he kneeled down and placed a hand on her head. "Alice. Please, tell me what's wrong. What did I do to you?"_

_She rose her head and wiped the tears away from her cheeks. "Nothing."_

_He pleaded with her, grey eyes filled with concern. "Don't lie to me…" He surveyed her face and hands. They were okay. There was a scarf arranged carefully around her neck. Feeling suspicious, he quickly peeled it off and nearly got sick at the sight of the ugly purple bruise on it. It had been dressed and looked after already, just like his own wounds._

_He pulled her into a tight hug and apologized. "I am so, so sorry. Sorry that you had to see me like that. Sorry that I hurt you. Sorry that I scared you." Alice started crying once more. He was surprised that she even let him touch her after he had treated her so badly. Not knowing how else to comfort her, Lucas decided to stroke her hair gently. 'Bloody fool. You just can't help dragging others into your problems, can you?'_

_After she had calmed down, she passed out. Lucas placed her on his bed where she would be more comfortable, then proceeded to take a painkiller for his stomach and head and clean his apartment. As soon as he had cleaned the last of the cigarette ash and spilled alcohol from the floor, Alice stepped into the living room._

"_Why?"_

"_Eh?"_

_Alice levelled him with a reprimanding glare and motioned to the wine cooler and ash tray._

_Lucas sighed and collapsed onto his sofa. "It's just how I cope."_

"_Cope with what?"_

"_Stuff."_

"_You owe me an explanation, not one word answers." She didn't miss a beat. Of course she was entitled to at least learn the reason behind his behaviour after being a victim of it._

"_Today is May 26. Something horrible happened on that day, and I still regret it. Drinking is the only way I cope. You guys already know that my family hated me from I was a little boy. My father tried everything to get rid of me in a way that wouldn't seem suspicious to the media. The alleged murder of the second son of the owner of the Grendahay Enterprises by the owner himself would give his business a bad name after all. Each time I was mistreated, my brother was there for me, supporting me and setting father straight. About two years ago, father shipped me out here. All I had was money and a couple suitcases full of clothes and other stuff. I didn't know anything about Japan. I couldn't even speak the language. I couldn't do anything for myself and after spending two nights sleeping outside the airport, I saw my older brother coming to my rescue. He managed to get me an apartment and enrol me in our school. About a month after he came, on May 26, I was feeling a bit adventurous, so I'd asked him if we could go hiking. Because I don't usually go out, and because he wanted to please me, we packed up his car and headed for the mountain. About halfway there, I was reading the fold out map but it got caught in the wind and blew out the window. He pulled up, but before he could say anything, I ran out of the car to get it. I didn't see or hear the car speeding towards me, but I can still hear the screeching brakes, the sound of twisting metal, the dull thud…I can still see his face…covered in blood…not to mention the rest of his body. He was smiling at me, and the last thing he did was pat me on the head. "Lu, how many times have I told you that you're way too clumsy for your own good?" Those were his last words. I don't know how long I shouted his name. I don't know how long I clung to his dead body for. I don't know how long it took for my tear ducts to dry up. I'd begged him to take me with him. For days I prayed that we could switch places...that I was in that coffin instead of him…"_

"_If you were given the opportunity to switch places now, would you still?" Alice asked him._

"_Yes." He answered without hesitation._

* * *

><p>When Lucas next opened his eyes, warm sunshine greeted him instead of darkness. He stretched and yawned. <em>Who would've known? I did fall asleep.<em> He checked his watch. _6:30. Alright. Let's start baking._ Rising from his seat, he tried to shake the unwelcome memory from his head.

As soon as the others in the house got up, their noses were assaulted with the scrumptious scent of apples filtering up from downstairs. The children rushed down as soon as they had washed up, and Alice followed soon after. On the table was a grand spread. One of the many warm, gooey apple pies that Lucas had baked shortly before was the centre of attraction. With it was a jug of apple juice and stacks of apple pancakes with bacon and eggs. There was also an apple-oatmeal cookie at the side of each plate as well as a jug of water.

Carla's eyes shone with pleasure. Zachary called his father who was leaning against the window and staring at the set of swings in the front of the yard. "Daddy, aren't you going to eat what you made with us?"

"Eh?" Lucas turned towards his son and smiled gently. "Sorry. I've lost my appetite."

* * *

><p><strong>Good morning all. If you notice, my view of Ace (Lucas) has been refined greatly. In my imagination, he looks a trillion times better than the original character. The males in my works are usually tailored to fit my tastes. I have never gotten drunk before. I hate alcohol, and drunkenness conflicts with my religious beliefs. I do not know what hickeys look or feel like. I do not know what it feels like to be in love. And I don't know why I am spouting random info on myself. Anyways, I must retire very soon. Farewell.<strong>

**"Your thoughts are sort of like a rudder, they steer the rest of your body."**

**-Craig Williams**

** ~ Anne Callendar**


	7. Firm Resolutions

**School once again. Hurrah! As of next Tuesday, my summer vacation's over! Yeah! Warning: Updates may be even slower and more irregular than they already are.**

* * *

><p>CHAPTER SEVEN<p>

FIRM RESOLUTIONS

* * *

><p>Lucas screwed the top on the last jar of apple preserve that he'd made. The kitchen was a mess – squashed apples on the floor, sticky pots and countertops, apple seeds and cores scattered all over the table. Lucas looked no better though. His chef's hat was practically falling off his head and his hair stuck to his sweaty forehead. Two grinning children clawed at his apple stained apron, their own faces smeared with some of the preserve.<p>

The cook stumbled across the room, jar in his hands and phone in the crook of his neck.

"Yes, yes. I know, I know. You won't have to remind me. The family's fine."

"…"

"Really. They're all done packing. I just have a few more stuff to squeeze in-"

"…"

"Yes Daniel. I know that we're not moving into the villa permanently. I just wanna be prepared."

"…"

Lucas' face flamed with heat and he nearly choked into the speaker. "O-of course I'm not in the kitchen! And why would I be taking along a whole bag of food?! Idiot!" he sputtered. Three bags of frozen pies, preserves, jam and pancake syrup sat on the table before him.

"I have to go now. You'll make me later than I already am." He shoved the jar into a bag and hung up the call. Turning his attention to the mini-people at his feet, he grabbed hold of their hands and swung them around in huge circles.

Carla and Zachary squealed and begged him to stop. When he put them down, Lucas stooped to their level and told them to go wash up. They both nodded, ecstatic to see all of their friends at the reunion later.

As soon as he heard the showers running upstairs he groaned. The thought of spending so many days with Alice was painful. Really, this whole reunion was at a terrible time for him. He would have much preferred to stay in his home with only the occasional bird as his company, wallow around in his misery and self pity and binge cook with whatever ingredients he found and whenever he got the chance.

Disgusting? Yes.

Pathetic? Most definitely.

But this was how he coped (apart from misusing tobacco and alcohol)

He pulled his hands over his face and sighed. Running was a cowardly thing to do and despite all else, Lucas Grendahay was certainly not a coward. Besides, it wasn't like he could abandon his family. His son. His daughter. He had promised himself that until his dying day he would be a loving father, an occasional prick (whenever necessary of course), a counsellor and anything else that was humanly possible for him to become for the sake of his children. Giving them what he was denied of all his life was his goal.

Even though he'd been failing for the past few years he was determined to fix his mistake and make things right with them.

_You've already been pretty much absent in their lives. What kid would be happy with a dad who barely comes home and who also turns out to be a bum, a drunk and an addict? I'll hold back for them. They don't deserve to go through any more of this._

Lucas tightened the apron around his waist. An intense fire burned in his eyes and he felt more alive than he ever had for days. In one swift movement he spun around and tugged a cabinet open, swiping up a half full cigarette box that he had carried with him and trashed it. It was time to clean up his act. He couldn't hold his own pity party forever. He needed to get over himself. Sure his wife, best friend and only love had just cheated on him and played him for the fool, and sure she wanted him to forget all the chemistry that he had **at least** thought that they had going on between them over the years and forget his family by just signing a sheet of paper, however, he'd simply have to suck it up and endure. For his children's sake. For his friends' sakes. For his sake. For Alice's sake.

He channelled all his energy into cleaning the kitchen and getting dressed. By the time he had closed his vehicle's trunk, the children were hopping into their mother's car, as opted to travel with her over breakfast that morning.

Carla and Zachary paused in fighting over which side of the car the scenery could be better viewed from to wave goodbye to their father. Only after waving back at them until Alice sped out of the yard scattering gravel in her wake did Lucas turn around and lock up the country home securely. He stood marvelling at the beautiful but modest structure.

* * *

><p>It had reminded him of his dear late grandmother's home back in France. Hers was smaller and much more worn and homely. Even though old (both she and the house), she rejected any donations his father sent to her. She was a stubborn woman and was determined to leave her home just as it was when her husband passed away. In addition, knowing her son all too well, she expected that he would not only repair, but also refurbish, renovate and redesign. That strong woman retained control over her property until her very last breath. Soon after, Lucas father had the whole place demolished and built a country resort over it and the rest of the unused land on the lot.<p>

Lucas had been so eager to get this home not only to serve as a memorial, but also as a reminder of his grandmother's strength. She would always treat him like her own son and seemed to be an eternal spring of knowledge and power. Somehow, staring at this lookalike, he felt as though he were indeed drawing from that infinite spring of wealth. Like his grandmother's house, he would endure to the end, no matter how battered and bruised he may be. Like his grandmother he would stay true and firm to his cause.

Smiling as an image of a short, hunchbacked woman with long healthy snow white hair and surprisingly bright grey eyes flashed through his mind, Lucas climbed into his vehicle and drove off.

* * *

><p>Lucas parked in a spacious parking lot. The yellow border lines stood out on the black asphalt like dahlias in a snow covered field. Willow and pine trees lined the lot and a few acorns littered it, giving the place a wonderfully natural and serene feel.<p>

He stepped out and surveyed his trunk. There was far too much luggage to carry in one trip, so he took up the suitcase and matching travelling bag and marched towards a low sprawling building. It was built on the edge of a steep slope. When looking from the front which faced level ground and the parking lot, it seemed like a simple single storey; however, if one looked from behind the expansive building, one would realize that another storey was built into the cliff face.

The lobby was spacious enough and had enough paintings, potted plants and furnishings to keep the average person occupied for a good fifteen minutes. It opened up into a living/sitting room with adjoining dining room. A good sized open concept kitchen was nearer to the back and had sliding glass doors which opened out onto an equally roomy deck which gave a breathtaking view of the countryside. One could take a ride in the cable car accessible from the deck to a lake encircled by sakura trees below. Bedrooms, etc, were located on the lower level.

When Lucas stepped onto the foyer, a resounding shout echoed through the area. Birds scattered and chipmunks scampered. Daniel shot out of the lobby and onto the foyer and captured the slightly shorter man in a bone crushing bear hug.

"Idiot!" Lucas managed to squeeze out. Before his exuberant friend even said a word of greeting he shoved the travelling bag into his now empty hands and rolled the suitcase before him. "Here. Make yourself useful," he snorted before retreating to his trunk for the other three bags. As he lugged them through the lobby, Joseph rose from his seat and offered a smile in greeting.

"Hey."

Joseph took two of the bags from him and led the way. He paused at the stairs and asked, "Kitchen or bedroom?"

A light tint of pink which Joe did not miss dusted Lucas' cheeks.

"Kitchen it is then." Joe took the reins once more and placed the bags on the quartz topped island.

"The others are on the deck. Ready to see them?" He raised a questioning eyebrow, deliberately avoiding the topic of his sister.

Grateful for his understanding, Lucas nodded and walked towards the sliding doors. His grey eyes widened when he saw the astounding view and softened when he saw his friends sprawled on the deck. A gas powered grill was busy doing its thing in a corner while Carla, Zachary and friends sat around a small wicker table engaged in an intense game of go fish. Julie, Chan-Lee, Runo and Alice relaxed on wooden chairs, sipping on lemonade (despite how cool it was because of their height) and chatting. Billy leaned on the deck railing texting and sometimes joining in with the women's gossip.

"Aah…Hello?"

All eyes shot up to him and ten out of the eleven pairs brightened upon seeing him.

"Lucas my man!"

"Lukie!"

"Lucas!"

"Uncle Lulu!"

He stepped onto the deck and smiled, waving a greeting to everyone. Something on his wrist that glinted in the sunshine caught Alice's eyes and her breath stopped in her throat.

Zachary sprang up from his seat on the floor and tugged is father over to his friends. He sat with them cross-legged and allowed the eager souls to surround him. Carla folded her arms and turned her head away.

"Look! I'm missing three teeth! See? See?" A little white blonde clung to his arm and proudly displayed the three spaces in the side of his mouth.

"Impressive Beck."

Beck grinned wickedly at his two sisters, one blonde with blue eyes and one with silver hair and blue eyes. "Laney and Terra are growing into fine young ladies too." Nine year old blonde Laney curtsied gracefully while her younger sister Terra punched Beck on the shoulder.

An eight year old with extremely deep coloured violet hair which had beautiful natural auburn highlights hugged Lucas from behind. "Sataka, you've gotten taller. Maybe even taller than Carla." Sataka smiled sweetly at him then her eyes caught Carla's. Electricity flashed between them and Sataka's victorious aura put Carla on edge.

Zachary, suddenly tired of go fish, climbed onto his father's lap and attached himself to his shirt. Lucas kissed him on the cheek gently then rose (with his son still sticking to him like a slug) to greet others.

After he greeted everyone and succeeded in ignoring Alice, a loud maniacal scream came closer and closer. Daniel rushed out to the deck, steam pouring out of his nose. "Lucaaaaasss!" He bellowed.

Before he could even set foot on the hardwood floor, however, an aggravated Joe grabbed him by the ear. With Dan's momentum and Joseph's force, his ear nearly got ripped clean off. Joseph twisted it and the grown man hollered like a little kid would.

"Look. I'm not used to your noise Kuso. You plan on deafening me and Chan or something?! Now I don't want to hear another peep out of you for the rest of the day. If I have to cringe because of your voice one more time-" He suddenly remembered that they were in front of impressionable children and cut off the rest of his threat.

He released Dan's ear and let him crumple to the ground, tears in his eyes from the pain. Joe didn't even spare him a glance. Scoffing, he went over to the grill and announced that Fabia and Shun would be arriving soon.

An animalistic growl which came up when Joe lifted the cover on the grill made the wisps of hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Pausing from flopping burgers he turned slowly, brandishing hot metal tongs in one hand. A mitt was on that hand and his grasp visibly tightened around the tongs.

Daniel Kuso certainly knew what freaked Joseph Gehabich out. He just happened to have a disturbing knack for making very animal-like sounds and he just happened to be friends with a man who had an unnatural fear of wild animals.

Joseph gulped but stepped towards Dan. The said brunette was facing the opposite direction, so he was taken completely by surprise when the searing metal tong came into contact with his luckily covered side. Despite being covered, though, the heat got to him and he began prancing around like he was mad. Lucas, who supported his son with one arm and leaned against the railing, snickered at their antics.

* * *

><p>He then turned his attention to Zachary. Looking down at the lake, he felt overwhelming warmth surround him. "Hey Zach? Has Daddy ever carried you to a lake before?"<p>

Zachary's brown eyes brightened instantly. "No Daddy."

"How about we go tomorrow?"

"Really?! Th**s**at would be great! We can even go fis**sth**ing!-"

A ringtone cut him off. Lucas wasted no time in retrieving the phone and answering it.

"Hello? Professor Brantley?"

"…"

"No. I just wasn't expecting the call."

"…"

"Yes, I'm still off from the hospital. Is everything okay in Switzerland?"

"…"

"Oh really?"

"…"

"All the way to Wales this time?" He glanced hesitantly at Zachary, noticing his suddenly disappointed look.

"I know, but isn't it possible for them to get another doctor to stand in for him? I'm kind of in the middle of something and my hands will be tied for the next few months maybe." Zach raised his eyebrows. Carla and the other adults stayed quiet as they eavesdropped.

"…"

"Family," Lucas said sternly, narrowing his eyes. "I am spending some well deserved time with my family and friends that I have sorely neglected. I'm sure you can relate, Brantley."

".."

"Yes. Just apologize on my behalf. And I'll send pictures."

Lucas hung up and stuffed his cell into one of his pockets. He hugged Zach closer to him and mumbled into his ear, "Still on for a fishing trip with your old Dad?"

"Only on one condition." Zach stuck out his nose.

"I'm up for anything."

"Great! Th**s**at means you have to cook tomorrow!" He laughed.

"No fair!" Lucas moaned, taking his revenge in tickles.

Alice forced herself to tear her eyes away from her family. She gripped her glass and gulped down a mouthful of the refreshing liquid inside.

Chan noticed and raised an eyebrow. She met her husband's glance and nodded slightly. "Oi! Did you squirts unpack your things?"

Sataka, Carla and Beck shifted uncomfortably and stared down hard into their deck of cards. Terra, however, didn't get the message, so she made a victory sign with her fingers and proudly announced that she hadn't unpacked a single thing. Laney sighed and shook her head (daintily) at her sister's stupidity.

Gym teacher mode kicking in, Chan rose from her seat and clapped loud and short three times. "Alright! Let's get a move on. If we go now we can finish in time to get dinner while it's hot."

All the young ones except for Zachary groaned and shuffled through the sliding doors. Instead of going with his friends, he chose to snake his arms around his father's neck.

Lucas lowered his head and looked into the boy's eyes. "What's wrong? You don't wanna go with them?"

Zach buried his head into Lucas' shirt.

"You prefer to stay with the boring adults than with your friends?" He pried his small hands loose and pushed his head up. Zachary puffed out his cheeks and pouted a bit.

"You won't' go?"

"Huh? Of course not."

Zach looked him in the eye.

"I promised you a fishing trip and dinner, didn't I?"

"**Th**so you won't leave u**th**s?"

"Positive." Lucas set him on the ground and pinched a cheek. Zach's face brightened and he shot through the doorway after his friends.

Alice's grip on the lemonade glass tightened even more. Joe sprang into action as his wife left behind Zachary.

"Hey Billy. Keep an eye on these while I go get the side dishes, dessert and the table ready, 'kay? Lu? You carried something, so you should help me get it ready for the table."

Understanding what he meant, Billy and Lucas nodded, and Alice nearly sighed in relief when her husband left with her brother.

"What's the deal with you two? You haven't even – like exchanged any words or looks since he came." Julie leaned in, waiting for the younger woman to spill.

"Yeah. Jules is right. Is something wrong?" Billy walked over to the grill.

Alice gulped and placed her glass on the wicker side table near to her.

"Whatever it is, it must be serious. You seem tense. You're not even wearing your necklace," Runo pointed out.

Alice scratched the back of her neck and slapped on a sheepish grin. "Really guys, it's not that serious."

"Really?" Julie rolled her eyes, scepticism tumbling off her in waves. "What did he do? You're obviously mad at him because even though he has his bracelet on, your necklace is nowhere in sight."

Alice inwardly cursed her friends for being so observant all the time. "Nothing! We just made this ridiculous bet after we watched this video on which sex is the weaker. The one who stays out of contact with the other the longest on this trip without breaking down is the winner."

"So basically if you ignore him and act nonchalantly the longest you win a prize." Runo squeezed the bridge of her nose.

"A-am I doing okay? Do I look like I care?" Alice feigned concern.

"You looked so mad that for a moment I thought you'd actually burst into flames." Julie stretched her arms out wide.

"To be honest with you Alice, you're losing this bet sorely. Naturally, Lucas would win of course, but I didn't expect you to be doing so badly." Billy ran a hand through his blonde hair.

Julie brandished two empty lemonade glasses and prepared to take aim.

"What's that supposed to mean, Billy?" A huge red animated tick mark increased in size on Runo's forehead.

The man gulped and turned back to the grill. "N-nothing at all guys! I just think Ally needs that extra support. G-go team Alice!" he sputtered.

"I thought so." Runo sat back in her chair and gave Alice a cheery grin.

* * *

><p>Lucas leaned on the island and sighed. Joseph pulled the blinds on the sliding doors shut and walked over to him. "How're you holding up?"<p>

"I'm hanging in there."

"I put your stuff in a separate room. I don't think either of you can really handle sharing a room, much less a bed together. You'll have to think up an excuse for the others." He opened the three bags of food.

"Thanks for doing that. Alice and I have already figured out something. We tell everyone we've made this dumb bet about ignoring each other for the entire trip. That way, nobody will think anything of our behaviour."

"Thank goodness." Joe took out a jar of apple jam. "I had a feeling you'd do this. Are you still on drugs?" he asked softly, remembering the state he'd found him in at the bar.

Lucas smiled at the countertop. "Actually, no. I trashed all the cigarettes and alcohol in my house and I'm refraining from even touching them."

"That's great." Joseph replaced the jam and took out three pies instead and headed to the oven with them.

"I've stopped taking my antidepressants too, cuz' I'm afraid I might overdose."

"Did you almost?"

"Yeah. A couple hours before Alice came the other day, Zach saw me shaking out four tablets from the bottle. He asked me if I wasn't supposed to take just one of my vitamins every day."

Joseph shut the oven door and whirled around to face Lucas. "So you didn't realize that you were about to have three extra?"

Lucas shook his head. "I didn't notice. I would have taken all four if he didn't stop me."

Joseph sighed and dragged a hand over his face. "You know I worry about you sometimes?"

Lucas snorted and replied, "Yeah. I know that I'm a handful."

A smile spread across Joe's face and his gaze dropped down to his friend's hands – his wrist particularly. Lucas followed his eyes and his face paled instantly. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. "I completely forgot to take this off." He ignored the sick feeling that surged around within him and unclasped his bracelet from his hand. Memories and hope were the last things that he needed right then.

"Are you going to trash it?" Joe asked absently, turning around to attend to potatoes that were just about done boiling.

Lucas eyed the bracelet contemplatively. If he trashed it, then it would save him a lot of trouble, but his conscience would kill him, and he wouldn't stop regretting his actions until the day he died. "No. I don't think I will."

* * *

><p>Thirty minutes later, all except Fabia and Shun who were yet to arrive took their seat around the dining table. The table was laden with neatly assembled burgers, coleslaw, potato salad, fruit juice, wine and water. Dessert was waiting in the kitchen. Everyone helped themselves and ate heartily. Zachary sipped his fruit juice and noticed that his father spread this nasty looking caviar over his burger and dropped a dollop onto his potato salad, and that he also was the only adult not drinking wine.<p>

When everyone fell silent for a moment he asked, "Hey Daddy, why do you put cavi**ssth**ar on your food?"

"It's caviar, Zach and I eat it because it tastes good," he lied. All the adults knew that he hated caviar and the only reason he ate it was because it helped him keep his meals in his stomach, where they were supposed to be.

"Oh. And Daddy, why don't**h** you drink alcohol like everyone el**th**se?"

All the adults froze except for him. Without missing a beat, he launched into another fib. "Because Daddy can't keep his alcohol. He gets drunk easily." Dan nearly choked on a piece of potato. They all knew that Lucas could easily drink all of their glasses of wine and be nowhere near tipsy.

Jumping in to save the day before Zachary asked a question that would be really hard for Lucas to lie his way out of, Julie changed the topic. _That kid is way too observant for my liking._ "Hey! While we were on a vacation in Ireland, Billy and I went to this pub. The locals were having a drinking contest and placing bets, so I placed a bet on Billy. Lots of guys placed bets that he couldn't drink more than two mugs of beer."

Billy coughed and quickly stuffed some coleslaw into his mouth.

"I was so lucky that he managed to hold out till three! I could have lost a lot of money that day. Even though we had to drag him outta that pub and carry him home and I had to treat his hangover the next morning, it was worth it. Who knew that those guys spent so much on bets?" Julie cackled and the adults burst into laughter.

"Three?!" Chan whimpered, in an attempt to control her laughter.

"I'll never hear the end of this," Billy groaned.

* * *

><p>Alice sat in front of the vanity in her spacious room, brushing her hair. She paused for a moment to look at her reflection in the mirror. She looked incomplete without her necklace. Not wanting to give Lucas any wrong ideas, she had decided to remove it from before she even went to their country house.<p>

As she brushed her hair slowly, a memory resurfaced. The feeling of the bristles parting her hair and scraping her scalp reminded her of a man's hands doing the same. Not large calloused hands that only tugged commandingly and sought dominion, but small, soft, hands which gently caressed and made one want to give in. Lucas' hands.

_Lucas leaned back on the headboard. His arms snaked around Alice's waist and she straddled his hips. He abruptly stopped kissing her and told her to look him in the eye._

_"What's wrong?" she asked, tightening her arms around his neck._

_"Alice, we're married now."_

_"Yes."_

_"Do you know what that means?"_

_She gave him a questioning look. "A lot of things. You'll have to be more specific."_

_"It means that you are mine." He pulled her closer to him. Her cheeks flushed._

_"I am the only one that has the right to see you like this."_

_Instinctively, Alice looked down at her naked body and blushed harder._

_"I am the only one with the right to hold you like this. To kiss you anywhere I please." He placed a gentle kiss on one of her breasts and smirked when she felt her shiver against him. He took her lips into his and she let him take control, but he stopped again soon after._

_"I'm the only one who you should offer yourself to like this._ _The only one you're allowed to beg for - to plead for."_

_Alice whimpered when she heard his voice lower and get huskier. She buried her head into the crook of his neck and whispered "Y-yes."_

_"The only one you should submit to like this."_

_"The only one who has the right to hear you like this." He deliberately avoided his most obvious right as he loved seeing his wife like this. Mean, yes, but it wouldn't last forever._

_His eyes widened slightly when he heard Alice's soft voice again. She raised her head and looked into his eyes._

_"L-Lucas, you're the only one who has the right to take me. You can do whatever you want with me but for now, I just ask you one thing. Please..."_

_Lucas smiled. "You don't have to finish that."_

Alice opened her eyes. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She felt absolutely horrid. Gasping for air, she held the brush close to her as the tears kept coming. There were three sharp raps on the door and Joseph stepped in mere seconds after. His slate eyes immediately filled with concern and he locked the door behind him and crossed the room to the vanity. She threw the brush onto the vanity and hugged him tightly as soon as he sat beside her.

"Hey, calm down. Calm down. I'm here now, okay, so calm down," he cooed.

Alice buried her head into his shirt and willed herself to get a grip. When she could finally talk without tears getting into her mouth she lifted her head and held on to her brother's hand as if it might disappear in a few seconds.

"I feel guilty. Joseph, I feel terrible." She squeezed his hand. "I remember my time with Martin. H-he was so rough a-and commanding. E-even though I paid him I-I almost got hurt. Lucas was nothing like that. He loved me. He trusted me."

Joe remained silent.

"It hurts. I-I think I regret doing that."

"Hey. I won't sugar-coat anything for you. You're a grown woman and you make your own decision. Of course it's going to hurt and you should feel guilty. Something would be wrong if you weren't. I mean, the man trusted you with everything and never once doubted your integrity and you just broke that apart in one day."

"But I won't go back." Alice grabbed a box of tissues from the top of the vanity and began cleaning her face.

"So you're still going to try to get him to sign the divorce papers."

"Yes. And I don't need your help."

"Please no!" he scoffed. "Just because I'm your confidant doesn't mean I'm supporting you or that I'm taking sides. I'm done trying to talk you out of this." He folded his arms and eyed his sister.

"So if he finds out that we've been talking he won't feel betrayed?"

"Sheesh Alice. I know that he's been away for a while and that you've gone and cheated on him and all, but that's still a silly question for you to ask. You know Lucas doesn't really care about side taking or anything like that, and I'm sure that he understands and expects that we'd be talking this over. He did have a sibling once, after all."

Alice nodded.

Joe looked at his watch and cursed softly. "Hey, I need to leave now. I'm on bedtime story duty for the kids tonight. If you need anything, just give Chan a call. G'night sweetheart." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

She watched him turn around and leave. She desperately wanted to reach after him, to call him back, to beg him to stay with her but she couldn't. She wouldn't. She needed to be strong. She was the one who had gotten herself into that mess, and she intended to follow through with her divorce.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes. Yes. I know. This chapter was really choppy. Maybe even all over the place, but don't be in despair if you don't understand the last dialogue. It will all be cleared up in due time.<strong>

**Thought:**

** "He that can have patience can have what he will." **  
><strong> ― Benjamin Franklin<strong>


	8. History Lesson 1

**When inspiration hits, you have to get writing.**

* * *

><p>CHAPTER EIGHT<p>

HISTORY LESSON 1

* * *

><p>Micah Grendahay did not rise from his seat in the sitting room. He simply glared at the boy before him with scorn and disdain.<p>

His grey eyes remained dull. They used to shine with the hope of satisfying his father one day or whenever his brother came to visit, but both were far beyond reach. His brother was six feet in the ground and there never really was any possibility of him pleasing his dad. He wore a long sleeved shirt to cover the scars that riddled his arms and wrists.

Micah squeezed a picture frame of the family so hard that it broke. Lucas had been cut out of the photograph, but that was done with every picture in his father's home.

"You killed my son," he spat out. The man was seething with anger. He chucked a pocket knife in the boy's direction. On instinct, he dodged it, but if he were thinking clearly, then he would have let it strike him.

"You killed my son!"

Lucas did not flinch. He had cried over his brother and heard the words so much that it made no difference. He hated himself and everyone he knew hated him. He had caused the death of the only person who loved him. He was too scared to kill himself so he had started praying for someone to murder him.

"You should have died that day, not him. Look at you. So pathetic. You're not even worth killing. All that would do is tarnish my company name." He spat into Lucas' face.

"'What will you do with me then Father?"

"I'm having you shipped to Japan. I have to pay for your schooling through at least the first year of tertiary schooling. If you're not taken care of then I'll get questioning looks. You leave tonight. You may collect what you want to take with you, but Pierre is leaving in fifteen minutes. Get out of my sight before I run my knife through your heart."

"Very well Father." Lucas turned and went to his room. He took with him his photo album which his grandmother and brother had secretly put together for him. He put that, a quilt his grandma knitted for him and one of his brother's favourite music CDs with him and went down to Pierre's vehicle. He wouldn't be surprised if there was an 'accidental' car accident in which he died and Pierre managed to escape.

He walked past his mother and his father and didn't even spare them a glance. They made no effort to say farewell either. On the whole trip to Japan, never once did he look back, never once did he regret what he was leaving behind.

* * *

><p>Alice, Dan, Runo, Joseph, Chan-Lee, and Julie sat around a lunch table in a dining room packed with hormonal teenagers. Julie listened as a bunch of girls from Runo's class gushed about this uber cute guy.<p>

"Sounds juicy," she mumbled. "Hey Runo! Why are all the girls from your class blabbing about this mystery guy and you haven't even mentioned a word about him yet?"

"That's because there's nothing **to** mention. He's just another stuck up guy with his head in the clouds that thinks he's too rich and good looking to talk to any of us." Runo slammed her fist on the table.

"Come on Runo. The guy doesn't seem stuck up to me. It's obvious that he's an introvert and he has no idea how great he looks. I mean, he's not flaunting it like Klaus." Chan-Lee shrugged her shoulders.

"Details! Alice and I are dying over here!" Julie squealed and squashed Alice to her side.

Runo sighed. "Exchange student from France. Sixteen. Handsome. Unusual appearance - teal hair and grey eyes. Name's Lucas. He doesn't give out his surname for some reason."

"You sure know a lot for a hater," Dan mumbled.

Runo slammed his head down onto the table and yelled, "Wanna say that again Kuso?!" Daniel whimpered and the girls next to them sweat dropped.

Alice chuckled and looked away. A shock of teal hair caught her eyes as her smile slowly disappeared. The fan girls next to them hushed each other and turned their attention to the same person she was focused on. She could see why they were so attracted to him. He certainly was a looker, but there was something about him that put her off. That sent shivers up her spine. That was kind of scary.

As he trashed a practically full tray of food and exited the room, Dan and Joe groaned in unison. "That was a perfectly good tray of food! And he just trashed it?! Runo, I agree. That guy's a show-off!" Daniel cracked his knuckles.

"Not you too Alice!" Joseph cradled his head in his hands.

"Huh?" Alice turned to stare at him, quite lost.

"You were staring."

"O-oh. I was? Well, it's not for the reason you think anyway."

"Oh really now? Don't hide it! I've already accepted the fact that you're growing up. Big brother isn't good looking enough for you anymore. You've already started showing an interest in guys. Pretty soon you'll have a boyfriend and then hand holding won't be enough."

"Oh shut it Joe!" Chan pinched him on the shoulder. "What were you saying Alice?"

"It might seem silly, but it's just that he scares me a bit. He isn't a normal teen. He's hiding something."

"He scares you cuz he has a secret?" Dan scratched his head.

"It's not that. His actions are mechanical and his face is blank. He doesn't act cool like other guys. He just doesn't show any emotions."

"And you got all of that while watching him for less than four minutes?" Julie asked.

"That's why I said it would be silly."Alice chuckled and patted the back of her head.

"Hey! I have an idea! I need a subject for my Student of the Week article for the week after next. Since you guys have nothing better to do, why not tail him?" Runo bounced up and down in her seat, suddenly excited.

"I dunno…" Joseph began.

"Just think about it guys! Everyone wins! I get to have an awesome interview and surprise the student body by centring my article around a hot guy. Julie will get to see him up close and learn more about him firsthand. Dan will get to beat him up if he really is stuck up. Joseph will get to work on his photography because my photographer's sick and Chan will be happy as long as she's with Joseph. Um, and Alice will get to overcome her fear of Lucas and possibly get a boyfriend."

"She's not going," Joe blurted.

"Alright! We'll start tailing him this afternoon. Chan, Dan and I have Math with him now so we'll meet you guys at the school entrance when classes are over. Joe, make sure you have your camera."

They all nodded in agreement (except for Joe) and went on their separate ways.

* * *

><p>Lucas tapped his pen against the filled sheet of paper. It was his third day of school in Japan and he had a pop quiz in Math already. Despite that, he was still among the first to finish and had rechecked his answers so often he knew the questions by heart. The teacher collected the papers ten minutes before the last bell rang and for the remainder of time, he lectured the class on practising regularly and always being prepared.<p>

At the end of the lecture, everyone surged out of the classroom. When the crowd was gone, he left and headed down the halls to his locker. He had the feeling he was being followed but he chose to ignore it and continue on his way.

By the time he packed his things and got his bag, the halls were practically empty. As he walked to the entrance, two bulky boys sprang out of nowhere and blocked his path. One pushed him against the lockers and the other pinned back his head and aimed a compass at his throat.

"Yes...Yes…Finally." _Lucas, if you play your cards right, you can get these bimbos to do what you couldn't. Maybe I could try a flat out approach._

"What do you want?"

"Your cash. All of it!" The one who had him against the lockers shook him. A slight smile tilted the corners of Lucas' mouth.

"Just money? I have lots of that. In order for you to get it you'll have to do something first.

The boys looked at each other in shock. It was the first time they had held up someone at compass-point and the person had tried to negotiate. "What?"

"Just one simple thing. Stab me with that compass."

The one holding the mathematical instrument looked from it to Lucas and back again. "Are you being serious?"

"Yes. Please. I'm begging you. All you have to do is lift your hand and bring it back down. I'll even show you the vein to hit. My father will reward you richly if you do it. Just please." Lucas lifted his neck for them to get better access and held on to one's hand.

"Let go of me, freak!"

Lucas grip tightened in the hope that they would try injuring him in an attempt to escape, but he wrung his hand free and the two of them dashed out of the school.

Lucas sighed and covered his face with his hands. He had lost yet another chance to end his existence. He had thought that by then he could have at least found one of the assassins he expected his father to plant. The idea of actually going out of his way to search for a hardened thug to kill him wasn't exactly pleasant. Why couldn't his death be handed to him on a silver platter like every other sorry thing in his life?

Sighing once more in frustration, he picked up his bag and stalked out of the building. The thought of returning to his lonely apartment was chilling, so he decided to tour the area. He avoided all of the places with crowds and stuck to cool, quiet alleys. For a good distance, buildings soared above him, reminding him of trees in the Amazon battling for sunlight. The further he travelled though, the smaller the buildings became and he kept strolling until an unusually wide alleyway opened up into an expansive area. It resembled an appliance junkyard - minus the dirt ground. Considering what was stored there, the place was well kept. Rusty stoves, freezers and the like were neatly stacked on the eastern and western sides of the octagonal shaped place. There was a building to the north. It was old and had fresh board nailed over where the windows used to be. Lucas was sure that if the building didn't have a decked roof, the inside would be full of fallen, mouldy shingles.

Tightening his grip on his bag straps, he moved towards the building in order to read a sign in kanji that had been nailed above the door.

* * *

><p>Runo held an arm out to signal the others behind her to stop. She scrambled for cover in the shadow of one of the buildings. Her pen was flying across her notepad at lightning speed and Joe was constantly trying to get into a good position to capture a photo. Alice helped him steady himself atop a dumpster while Dan acted as lookout.<p>

He felt rather uneasy tailing the youth, especially after witnessing his little episode in the halls. If he had gotten the chance, he would have talked Chan, Alice and Joe out of it and he would have Skyped Billy who would immediately disapprove. And if Billy disapproved, then Julie would back out, and there was no way that Runo would tail a mysterious guy on her own, no matter how desperate she was.

Dan nearly choked on his own spit when he saw Lucas push the door open and step inside. About five minutes after it was shut, Runo beckoned them to get a closer look.

When they were halfway there, Dan caught her hand and pulled her towards him. "Do you know what you're doing Runo? You saw how that guy was acting back there and you really think we should follow him?"

She whipped her head around to face him and narrowed her eyes. "Dan, is it really you that's talking right now? Where's the fearless Dan Kuso that I'm so used to? So what? He's just a little different is all."

Dan rolled his eyes and shook his head as Joseph kept snapping photos and Julie snuck up to press her ear against the door. "Seriously Runo? It's like we've switched minds or something! Am I the only one that finds it extremely strange that a guy who's been in the country for only three days suddenly decides to go sightseeing in some dark, empty alleys? We don't know what kind of place this is! Heck, we don't even know if he's in his right mind!" he shout-whispered at her.

Just then, Julie turned around to face them and whispered, "Hey guys! I found a crack in the door! There's one in that window too!" She pointed to a slab of nailed on board to her right. Joseph and Alice headed for it and Runo gave her a thumbs-up.

"Look, Dan. I just wanna get an interview from him, alright? If he doesn't want to talk, then I'll leave, and if things get sticky we can always run or call the cops or something. I'm sorry, but I can't let this opportunity pass me. It means too much."

Daniel pursed his lips. "So what are you going to do? Barge inside and demand an interview from him? Suppose there are dangerous guys inside with guns and stuff? What'll you do then?"

"We're not going inside today. We'll just tail him for now and scope out the places he frequents, and when we have enough info and when it's safe, then we'll do an interview." She gripped her notepad in one hand and stared him in the eyes.

"Alright, Runo, I'll go along with your plan, but if we get into some mess, don't say I didn't warn you." He sighed.

"Cheer up doofus! It feels weird when you get all hormonal and overprotective." She stomped on his foot and ran up to the others. Daniel bit down on his tongue, but smiled anyway.

* * *

><p>Lucas walked slowly through the building, looking at everything he possibly could, touching everything that interested him. Based on the layout, it appeared to be an old house, but all of the appliances and furniture had been removed from the front rooms.<p>

_Strange. What would a house even be doing here of all places?_

Even stranger, though was the fact that the place looked abandoned, but no dust was caked on to anything. He ran his fingers along one of the photographs on the walls and discovered it to be immaculately clean. This spurred his curiosity, so he left the front room and went around to the kitchen. A portable gas stove stood in one corner and the humming of a small refrigerator near to it showed that the building was still connected to the power grid. He looked up at the ceiling and saw that a light bulb was screwed in, so he searched the dim room for a light switch. When he flipped it, the whole room was flooded with fluorescent light and it was just as clean and organized as he half expected it to be. Eager to see if there was water there too, he trotted over to the sink which was just as clean as the rest of the place and turned on the tap. It didn't even sputter – clear water just poured out of it perfectly fine.

Just then, the thought occurred to him that he was trespassing in someone's house – or, at least, well equipped shelter. He didn't want to leave yet, though. For some reason, he envisioned himself staying there for a while.

"H-hello?" He began walking around to a back room when he saw a light flicker. "Hello?" he called again. He walked down a passage to a wooden door with a frosted glass pane. Gentle sunlight streamed through the glass, illuminating the previously semi-dark passage. Before he could lift a hand to knock, the door swung open, revealing a man with wavy brown hair and a sunflower tattoo on the base of his neck.

"Hey lads, we have a visitor." The man tilted his head to address some other persons in the room.

""What? **We **have a **visitor**?" a muffled voice asked in shock.

"That's right Davey. It's a boy."

Lucas shifted uncomfortably.

"Fools, if you keep talking about him like that he'll leave. Show him inside, Marshall."

"Who're you calling fool, moron?"

The man at the door ignored the two behind him and gave Lucas a friendly smile. "Hey laddie! Sorry if I startled ya. Please, come inside." He pulled the door wide open for him to step in.

The man led him to a reclining chair and closed the door. This room, unlike the rest of the house was well furnished. The walls were clean and freshly painted and had decent windows in them and there was a separator at one end of the room. On one wall there was a poster of the same four men he was sitting around with the title in big white letters - THE UNDESIRABLES - at the bottom. On the side table next to him, a sheet of song titles with accompanying music sheets caught his eye.

One of the men cleared his throat to grab his attention. Lucas eyes snapped back up to them. "S-sorry. Good evening and thanks for letting me in." He rose and bowed.

"Please no. No need for formalities here-"

"And you pretty much snooped around the whole house, so seeing this place doesn't really make a difference."

Lucas flinched and averted his gaze.

"Hikari. Why are you so harsh?" the man who opened the door asked. "Son, the name's Marshall. Marshall Hammond from London. You've happened to stumble across our 'studio'. We're a band, laddie. _The_ _Undesirables_ to be exact."

"Why would you name yourself _The_ _Undesirables_?" Lucas crinkled his forehead.

"Because that's what we are. We're unwanted. For example, my wife left me after she discovered that I had heart disease."

"Oh Marshall, don't spoil this! This is the perfect moment for us to do a little storytelling with our intros!"

"Shut up Mizuki. In case you don't realize, we're in a predicament here. This has to be short cuz that kid's gonna help us as compensation for his snooping." another man snapped

Lucas gulped and started to shrink back into his seat.

"I'm Mizuki Hariyama. Lead guitarist. People always turn away when they realize that I'm a guy who actually cares about looks and doesn't mind cross dressing." Mizuki spoke cheerfully and waved one bangle decorated hand and ran the other through his red hair.

"Roscoe Davenport. People call me Davey. Drums. I'm taking care of my sister and her son after a storm wrecked our homes and our family refused to offer support."

Roscoe's royal blue eyes that matched his equally dark blue hair were so intense that he had to look at the next person, and when he did, he was sorry that he had come any at all. Cold violet (Really. Violet) eyes glared at him through transitions lens glasses. He had his jet black hair pulled back into a ponytail which ended at his waist.

"Hikari Kasegawa. Pianist. Sometimes a guitarist. A friend of mine hacked into a business giant's mainframe somehow and I was framed for the crime. I was 19 at the time and spent three years in prison before I was acquitted. Of course I couldn't go back to my university, and my past associations severed all contact with me. Who might you be?"

"L-Lucas," he stuttered.

"What? Your parents didn't bless you with a surname?" Hikari's eyes narrowed; his sarcasm sharp as a blade.

Lucas shook his head. "Please. Just call me Lucas."

Hikari sensed his discomfort and decided not to push any further.

"I...I don't have a family."

"Aah. An orphan?" Mizuki asked.

"No...Well, not exactly. My father always wanted an excuse to get rid of me and now that my brother's gone, he did just that."

"Where did your brother go?" Davey asked.

"I killed him."

Marshall coughed, Mizuki froze, Davey already had the emergency number dialled and Hikari had a pocket knife ready in hand.

Lucas rose both hands in surrender and sputtered, "N-no! Not like that! He died because of me! Car accident! He died because I was careless."

"Oh, good." Mizuki and Marshall immediately relaxed.

"How can you relax so easily?! Suppose that was a lie?"

Mizuki smirked and looked Lucas up and down. "Can't you see it? This boy is incredibly timid. He's so delicate that if his feet stayed wet for more than twenty minutes he'd develop pneumonia. Trust me, there's not one evil bone in his body."

Lucas didn't know if he should feel grateful or offended, so he opted for not feeling anything and just being polite.

Davey ogled him for about a minute then shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "You're right. He's so pure it's painful."

Mizuki looked at him longingly. "Can I taint him? Please? I have lots of adult novels in my station. Just one chapter?"

Davey smacked him on the side of his head. "Disgusting."

Mizuki pouted and folded his arms like a little kid.

"Look Lucas, time to hold up your end of the bargain. We're in need of a cellist. Our previous one left the band. Hikari knows how to play but he's our pianist and there's no way we can give that up. You're going to help us search for one. It's really urgent because we have a show coming up soon."

Lucas' eyes shone a bit. "Actually, I happen to know how to play the cello."

"Really? Who taught you?"Hikari asked sceptically.

"I taught myself. My brother used to love the cello and his favourite band member in _Classic_ used to play it. I haven't played since he died though."

Hikari's eyes softened for a moment when he heard Lucas mention his brother. Even though he hadn't said much he could sense the love the boy had for him. Also, _Classic_ was his favourite band too. In fact, it was a mutual favourite of all the _Undesirables_. Marshall sensed the change in the youngest man's demeanour and smiled.

"That's wonderful! How fortunate can we get?!" Mizuki exclaimed.

"Don't get your hopes too high. He mightn't want to join us."

Hikari rose from his seat and walked over to Lucas. He sifted through the papers that the teen had been eyeing earlier and pulled out a sheet.

He handed it to Lucas. "Do you know this song?"

Lucas nodded. "I know almost all the words by heart."

"Can you read music?"

He nodded again.

"Come with me." Lucas got up and followed Hikari to the partition. They walked around it and Lucas marvelled at five spacious rooms all painted different colours, separated from the rest by glass. From the right, the brown room had 'Hammond' stuck to it and a standing microphone and an acoustic guitar inside. Next was a red room with electric guitars, tuning equipment and a standing mike with 'Hariyama' stuck to the glass door. Then was the blue room with a pristine drum set and another standing mike with 'Davenport' on the door. They went inside the next room. 'Kasegawa'. It had violet walls and a cello, keyboard, acoustic and electric guitar inside.

Lucas cleared his throat. "Excuse me Mr. Kasegawa, but where's your standing mike? Hikari pulled a chair forward and motioned him to sit. "Just use my first name. And I do **not** sing."

"More like **cannot** sing," Mizuki teased, closing the door behind him.

Hikari ignored him and arranged the music sheet on a stand before Lucas and placed a CD into the player. He placed the cello before Lucas as well and ordered," Show me your hands."

Lucas blinked and remained still for thirty seconds before sighing and holding them up. Mizuki scooted closer and cooed, "Marshall darling, he's so kawaii!"

"You cannot refer him or expose him to any of your wild lady friends, you hear?!" Davey cracked his knuckles menacingly and Marshall prepared himself to deal with one of Mizuki's impulsive attacks.

Hikari raised an eyebrow and stepped back. "Show me what you've got." He played the track and Lucas started when he was on cue. The fingers on his left hand glided over the strings and the bow in his right hand slid effortlessly over them. He closed his eyes as he melted into his brother's favourite song and nearly cried when it was over too soon.

When he opened them again he was stunned to see Mizuki sitting at his feet, staring up at him like an enchanted child, Davey wiping away tears, Marshall with a video camera and Hikari looking impressed.

"I must admit, I'm impressed. With some practice and a few adjustments you'll be perfect. But first, would you like to join us?"

He didn't hesitate to answer. "Of course!"

"Great." Hikari smiled. He actually smiled. If Mizuki were looking then he would probably have swooned like a lovestruck teenage girl, and then fainted.

"Follow my lead, okay? I don't have another cello, so we'll share."

He kneeled down behind Lucas and covered his hands. "Follow my movements. Marsh, replay that track."

Marshall nodded and started the music. Knowing how carried away Hikari could get when he was inspired, Davey joined Mizuki on the floor.

They didn't stop until it was dark. Everyone else had snacked on the protein bars in Lucas bag and whatever they could find in the fridge and the news prowlers had long since gone home.

* * *

><p>Hikari stretched and stifled a yawn. "Are your fingers okay?"<p>

"They're just a little sore is all." Lucas waved it off.

"Soak them in some ice when you get home."

"Home! Shoot! Home!" Davey sprang up instantly. "He's a kid, a minor. Don't you have a curfew and school tomorrow? Won't whoever's staying with you be worried?"

Lucas shook his head. "Roscoe, please don't worry about me. I live alone. I can get a bus back."

"What? A bus?! Are you crazy?" Davey whirled around to face him but nearly fell over Mizuki's sleeping form.

"You're not from here, are you?" Marshall asked.

Lucas hesitated at first then shook his head.

"How long have you been in Japan?"

He averted his eyes. "Three days. Is it that obvious?"

Davey groaned and slid a hand down his face. Hikari answered for him. "Very. Firstly, no Japanese kid would go wandering down these alleys alone, and secondly none in his right mind would stay out here until dark **and** say he'd go down to a bus stop by himself in the dark." He chuckled.

"Where do you live?"

He told them.

Davey started freaking out.

"Calm down Roscoe. I'll just drop you off. Mizuki isn't going that far and Davey and Hikari are going in the opposite direction. By the way, what're you doing so far from home?"

"I just started walking and I took a bus and my feet led me here."

"On top of that, what's your last name? I think telling us would be for the best."

"Grendahay."

Their eyebrows rose, but apart from that, none really seemed surprised.

"The resemblance is certainly there." Marshall muttered.

"Look, we know what type of man your father is. Believe it or not, we know how manipulative he is, so we're devoting the rest of our lives to becoming your family." Davey had suddenly calmed down when he heard his name.

Lucas' eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What do you mean 'devoting the rest of your lives'? Did you just make that choice for everyone or what? How can you decide a thing like that on the spot? This doesn't make any sense! You barely know me and you're already deciding to waste your lives on me!"

"Hey, calm down. Marshall placed both hands on his shoulders. Davey's right. You can ask any of us. I don't have much time left anyway, and I want to do something right with my life for once."

"My sister and her son are about to move out in a few weeks. Since they'll have a new man in their lives, I'll practically be useless." Davey scratched the back of his head.

"I don't have anything left to live for. My fiancée left me. She was our cellist. Apart from that, I can't get into a decent university or job because that guy ruined my life. Since I'm working at the library, I'll need something other than books to occupy my time." Hikari shrugged.

Davey kneeled down and shook Mizuki. "Oi. Suki. Wake up." The man moaned and rolled over and muttered something about not wanting to stop.

"I think he's having one of those lewd dreams again. It surprises me that he's a virgin."

Mizuki moaned again then pulled himself up. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and complained, "But we were having so much fun. All of us were like a family." He pouted childishly and stretched, causing a bit of his tummy to show.

"Lu, you remind me of someone. The hair colour is slightly different. I couldn't remember when I first saw you but now that I slept on it I remember. You look like this evil rich French entrepreneur. He's a user and he monopolizes everything. He lost his older son in a car accident recently and his younger one's been out of sight for a few days since his death. I've always looked on and wished that I could get the chance to be that kid's father. Micah obviously hates him. Nobody even knows the kid's name. I'd give him all the attention and care that Micah couldn't even give him..."

Just then, Mizuki looked at Lucas' face. He was blinking back tears and his nose was getting red and runny. "Jeez. Did I say too much?" Mizuki struggled to his feet. He pulled Lucas into a hug and rocked him from side to side. "Aaw. Don't think that there isn't enough love left for you. I'd give all my time and strength to make sure you turn out okay. Don't feel dejected because you're not Micah's kid."

Lucas gripped his shirt tightly.

Mizuki's eyebrows raised then he pushed the boy away and surveyed his features. "Or are you?" he asked. Lucas tried to hide his face and swiped angrily at his tears, willing them to stop. "No way. Lucas, you are his son!" Mizuki pulled him into a stifling hug and rubbed his cheek against his hair.

"Th-this is like a dream come true! Can I keep him? Please?" Mizuki pleaded, voice going up an octave and cheeks flushed.

Davey pulled Lucas away from him and shouted, "No! Pervert! I won't let you corrupt Lu's mind with your explicit novels and sick imagination!"

Marshall smiled and said, "See, Lucas? I know it's hard for you to accept, but all of us are in agreement."

Lucas just stood in amazement. It was incredible that there were people who barely even knew him who were willing to give their lives for him. It was incredible that there were so many people that cared about him. As he waved goodbye to Davey, Mizuki and Hikari who were standing beside their vehicles, he felt a warmth surge inside of him. The kind of warmth he got when he was with his grandmother. The kind of warmth he got when he was with his brother.

* * *

><p><strong>So, yes, this is somewhat random. I had to split my History Lessons into two parts because they were far too long for one chapter. Unrealistic situation? Maybe. But that's why this is fiction. You can make anything you want happen.<strong>

**Thought:**

** "Compassion is the basis of morality." **  
>... <strong>- Arthur Schopenhauer<strong>


	9. History Lesson 2

**This is a continuation of Lucas' past. You can think of it as a filler if you want to. Many thanks to those who continue to read and tolerate this story. Feedback will be greatly appreciated. I am anticipating about three more chapters for Utterly Unexpected. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>HISTORY LESSON 2<p>

* * *

><p>Lucas took his seat next to a window at the back of his English class. His classmates couldn't keep still. Girls huddled up in groups and whispered to each other, giggling and looking his way. Boys gave him looks so cold they made Antarctica look like Australia's badlands. He couldn't figure out why he was the centre of everyone's attention. None of them knew who he really was, so he was pretty much a normal kid.<p>

He sighed, wishing that his English teacher was there. _How fortunate. Both she and the substitute are absent._ _I hope this will all end quickly._ Turning to stare out the window, he forced himself to keep a scowl off his face.

Julie held her pocket mirror high up, puckering her lips and staring inside. She eyed Lucas' reflection and discreetly nudged Alice who peered into it also. Joseph glanced over at them then snatched the mirror away. Sliding onto the desk he leaned down and whispered viciously, "Julie, what are you trying to do to my sister? I don't want you putting any funny thoughts into her head!"

Julie pressed a hand to her heart and reeled back in shock. "Me?! Why would I do something like that?" Alice pulled the mirror from his grasp. "Come on Joe. You know me better than that. Can't you just take my word for it? I am not interested in him."

He rolled his eyes and threw a file jacket before them. Runo pulled her desk closer and placed a sheet of paper with printed text beside it. "This is what we've come up with so far. I wanna get a lot more dirt on him." Julie opened the file jacket and browsed through the pile of glossy photos while Alice skimmed over the few points that Runo had made.

"By the way Runo, how late did you get home last night?" Joseph playfully pulled at strands of Julie's hair.

"Um…around eight. Dan lives on my street, so he walked me home when we got off at our stop."

"Did your parents fuss?"

"Not really. They were just a bit worried. Said I should give them a call next time, and it was okay since I was with you guys. They called your mom just to make sure. Were you guys okay?"

"Yeah. Mother was glad that we were going out with you guys. She said that we hadn't gone out as a group in a while. But Runo, just my suggestion, let's not get too carried away next time. Even though we're travelling as a group, I still don't like the idea of us going home so late. Just because the crime rate is dropping doesn't mean we can get careless."

"I was about to suggest the same thing. Dan's getting all twitchy and weird, and I don't want him to lecture me again."

Julie, who was completely ignoring them suddenly turned to Alice and said, "Hey, why don't we try being bold for a bit?"

"Bold?" she questioned, turning to her.

"Our target is looking right this way. If we keep sneaking around we're not gonna get anything out of him. It can't possibly hurt if one of us actually goes up to him and tries to be friendly."

"But Julie, the plan…"

"Yeah, yeah. I remember the plan, but do you really think that he'll agree to tell some random girl who hasn't even said a word of greeting to him before about his life. It would be great if one of us could befriend him and pretend that we arranged the interview for him. If he learns that Runo and Joe are friends of his friend, then I think he'll agree. Especially if his friend is a head turner."

"Well…that does make sense, but who would that person be?"

"You, dummy!"

"Wh-What? Why me? Can't you or Chan do it? Come to think of it, you're the perfect person to do the job."

"No can do. All of us are taken."

"All of you?" Alice asked, tilting her head at Runo.

Julie rolled her eyes. "Come on Alice. It's pretty obvious."

"It'll look and feel weird if we do it. I don't want it to look like I'm getting closer to another guy and being unfaithful to Billy and I'm sure Chan wouldn't like to see Joe getting jealous. Dan would start getting all possessive."

Alice saw her point, but she still felt unsettled. She wasn't outright scared of him; just a bit wary. She wanted to talk her way out of it, but seeing that it was Julie she was dealing with, it didn't make much sense.

"I don't even know how to start up a conversation. If I go up to him and say, "Oh! What lovely weather we're having, he'll think I'm a freak."

Julie patted her on the back, shoved a book into her hands and thanked her stars that Joe was busy vetting things with Runo.

After about five minutes, Alice drew in a deep breath and rose from her seat. "I'll be right back. I'm going to return this book to the library from now so we can have a head start later." Joe nodded and Julie waved her away.

She held the book in her right hand and swung it slightly as she kept her head straight. When she was at his desk, she 'accidentally' bumped a book off his table. The book as well as a pencil case sitting atop it slid off and fell to the ground with a thud. Alice gasped and quickly apologized, stooping down to collect the scattered contents of the case first. Never once did she look up at him.

Lucas was about to come to her aid when she stopped him, explaining that it was her fault so she should be the one to clean up the mess.

Standing up, she handed the case to him and placed the book on his desk. "Thanks," he murmured, staring at her curiously. Some of the other students turned around to see what was happening. Remembering Julie's encouragement, Alice looked at him. Goosebumps crept up her arms as his cold eyes washed over her skin.

"Really, you didn't have to. It's no big deal," he said, the curiosity evident in his voice.

"I'm really clumsy so I just can't stop myself from feeling bad."

He tilted his head slightly, an eyebrow rising in interest. Not because of the reactions of the people in front of him, but because of the politeness and humility of the girl before him.

"Y-You're Lucas right? Lucas Schneider?"

"Yeah. And you are?"

"Alice Gehabich." One of his eyes twitched involuntarily when he heard the last name, but he kept his mouth shut.

"You don't talk very much, do you?" Alice went on. "I haven't seen you speak to anyone before."

Lucas fiddled with the cover of the novel that had fallen from his desk. Alice eyed it, looking for a way out since she just realized that her 'conversation' was rolling to a dead stop. "Is that book from the school's library?"

"Yeah. I just finished it in Math class as a matter of fact."

_Yes! I've hit the gold mine! Now I know at least one thing that makes this guy tick._

"You read novels in Math class?"

"Yup. That teacher **is** boring, so I bring a novel to every class."

"Is this the first time you're reading something done by this author?"

"Yes. And I'm not impressed. It was so boring that I actually considered giving up on it and listening to Mr. Kagayumi for once."

Alice giggled. "I could lend you one of his best books. You might change your opinion."

The corner of his lips tilted upwards in a lopsided smile. "That would be nice."

"Oh, and I happen to be going over to the library right now. Why not let me return that for you?"

"Are you sure? It's kind of heavy."

"It won't be a problem." Without waiting for a response, Alice snatched up the book and placed it on top of hers. "So, I'll see you around?"

"Sure Alice. Nice to meet you and thanks."

She nodded and walked out of the room.

_Alice Gehabich eh? Interesting girl._

Joseph stared on, wide eyed and Julie did a fist pump. Runo whispered a prayer of thanks while scribbling down some jottings, silently urging the class to be dismissed.

* * *

><p>A shrill ringing echoed through his ears, jolting him awake. Lucas sat upright in his seat but instantly regretted it because of the sharp shock of pain that ripped through his skull. He shielded his face with both hands and tried to figure out what was happening. He was in class. Literature class. Spoke to some girl then got bored after she left. Fell asleep.<p>

Slowly, he cracked an eye open. A blur of colours gradually materialized into distinguishable humans exiting the classroom. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, waiting for the classroom to clear before he exited. It didn't take long for that to happen. It was Friday afternoon anyways, and teens happened to be pretty busy on those days.

With a sigh, he picked up his things and headed to his locker. By the time he got everything ready, the main halls were empty, save for a few kids he thought he saw sitting with Alice in his Literature class. Noticing that she wasn't there, he shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the building.

The tall trees swayed in the wind, some of their leaves beginning to yellow, as it was early fall. Two school buses remained parked at one end of the lot, students filing in, chatting with friends and laughing. Lucas frowned. He had only ever had good relationships with three people, and all of them were far out of his reach. Turning away from the bus, he decided to walk home.

He was just about to cross the street when a dark blue SUV pulled up before him. The window wound down, revealing a man with wavy brown hair and a kindly face. Lucas face brightened in recognition.

"Marshall! What are you doing here?"

"I've come to pick you up. I hope you're not busy this weekend," he said, before motioning the boy to get in.

After Lucas seated himself comfortably in the vehicle, he faced Marshall. "Why? What's happening?"

"Well, since you are an official band member and all, you'll need to join us for practice. We usually get together on Friday evenings and spend the weekends at the band house. Sorry for the short notice. It kinda slipped the old noggin last night." The man chuckled and scratched the back of his head as he steered with his free hand.

"That's great. I'm totally free."

"What about homework?"

"That won't be a problem. I can finish all of it in about three hours or so."

"So I'll just head to your home so we can pack your things, then we'll start off."

A black minivan travelled behind Marshall's vehicle. A woman with tanned skin and a head of wavy white hair manned the wheel while a certain blue-head scribbled madly onto a notepad. Julie's sister turned out to be quite the expert when it came on to tailing, as neither of the occupants of the SUV seemed to notice them. Julie gaped when she noticed the familiar turns that they were taking in the affluent residential area. She nudged Alice who nodded slowly.

"No way!" she exclaimed when they finally came to a stop. "He lives like, just a few houses down from you guys!"

Joseph cringed behind the camera he was using. Daniel moaned.

"Hey, Alice! I just had the best idea!" Julie started bouncing up and down in her seat. Daisy, her sister, rolled her eyes. The redhead looked at her questioningly.

"Didn't you say something about getting a book for him? Since you're so close to home, you can grab it!"

"And then what?" Joseph muttered half heartedly.

"Isn't it obvious? If we keep trailing them like this, then we'll never get anywhere. If we don't actually get to talk to this guy, then we'd just be wasting our time. But if Alice comes with that book, we'd actually have a way to speak with him without it looking awkward. She can just confront him and start up a conversation. Your excuse can be that you wanted to get that book to him as soon as possible because you forgot it was Friday and you wouldn't be seeing him the next day."

"You know Jules, that actually makes sense." Runo observed.

She raised an eyebrow. "What are you implying Runo?"

"People, if Allie is gonna get the book, then she has to do it now. The target and his accomplice are entering that house. Please be quick. I want to be ready when they get out."

Alice nodded and slid the door open. Joseph face-palmed himself when he saw how serious she was about the whole thing. What scared him was that she wasn't so into it only for Runo's benefit. He knew what she was like when she took an interest in someone, and it seemed like this was exactly the case. "What have you dragged my sister into?" he moaned. Dan placed a hand on his shoulder in sympathy.

Daisy grinned, understanding quite well what it felt like when a younger sibling started to gain independence.

A few minutes later, the door to the minivan slid open once more and Alice stepped inside, cradling a heavy leather bound book to her chest.

"Is mother home yet?" Joe asked.

The girl shook her head and scooted close to a window so she could get a better view of Lucas' house. For some reason, she couldn't remember ever going inside or meeting its previous inhabitants even though she had been living in that community for years.

"Oi Runo, Joe, get ready. Target has left the building."

Lucas and Marshall exited the building. They were talking about something. Marshall carried a brown duffel bag to the vehicle ahead of Lucas, who had his schoolbag slung over a shoulder and was locking the door.

Daisy revved up the engine after they had driven off a distance. They tailed them all the way to a well known shopping centre on the outskirts of the city.

Daniel scoffed when he saw them get out of the vehicle. Joseph face-palmed for the second time that day. "We're not following them inside, right?"

There was no reply, but when they saw Runo and Julie rising from their seats, both groaned in annoyance. Alice and Daniel stayed behind while the four walked up to the four storey structure.

"What are we going to do if they get into the elevator? The place is so crammed that there'll be no way we can find them." Joseph said.

"Yeah. And if we do get in with them, then most likely he'll recognize us and get suspicious when Alice makes her appearance."

Runo, who had no answer to the question, made it her point of duty to pretend that she was so focused on watching the back of Lucas' teal head that she didn't hear them.

Luckily for them, though, neither he nor Marshall showed any signs of going upstairs. Instead, they weaved through the crowd and headed towards the food court. Dan's eyes brightened when he realized where he was. The marvellous scents of all sorts of food – local and international – gave him renewed zeal and zest.

"Oi! Look! They're going over to that new crepe stand." Without waiting another second, the boy marched off in the direction of the booth.

"Don't be slouchy Runo! Remember we don't have all day!" he called behind him.

The girl squeezed the hard plastic pen in her hand so hard that one side of it cracked. "Stupid gorger. If only you were this enthusiastic from the start," she grumbled, stomping after him.

Joseph let the camera hang around his neck and placed both hands behind his head. "Well, it seems like they'll be staying over at that old junkyard for a while. Maybe we should have a stakeout."

Julie looked at him in shock. She then clasped both hands together and bounced up and down on her heels. "It looks like you guys are finally on the program!" With that, she dragged him after the other two.

Both parties – the stalkers and the stalked – walked out of that mall with arms full of large paper bags.

* * *

><p>"Hey lads! We're back." Marshall called as he closed the front door with his foot. He walked through the well lit rooms to the kitchen and stowed the sweet crepes away in the refrigerator. He placed the bag of savoury ones in a microwave on top of the fridge that Lucas had missed the first time he saw the place.<p>

Muted moans and shouts could be heard coming from down the hallway. When the two went up to the door, there was a heavy thud. Marshall swung the door open and an eyebrow instantly shot up. He tried to prevent Lucas from entering; however, he managed to squeeze around him.

Hikari lay on the floor panting, several strands of hair slipping out of the messy bun that he had pinned it up in that morning. He was desperately trying to push a whimpering Mizuki off him. The latter had latched himself on to the younger man, and the only thing that separated the two was a cushion. Davey was kneeling down behind them and trying to pull Mizuki off by the waist. He even tried hitting him with an empty beer bottle, but to no avail.

Lucas coughed awkwardly.

Marshall stepped inside and cracked his knuckles.

Violet eyes beseeched Marshall to come to help too. "Please. Marshall, get him off me! He's crushing me."

Hikari's glasses were cast aside at one corner of the room and his face contorted in pain. Lucas was surprised that Hikari was defenceless towards Mizuki of all persons.

Davey stopped attempting to free his friend from Mizuki's bone crushing hug. Instead, he collapsed, breathing heavily and wiping sweat from his face.

Lucas eased to the side quietly while Marshall walked up to Mizuki and pressed two fingers down firmly on his throat. The man went limp immediately. Hikari lost no time in removing his arms from around his waist and extracting himself from beneath him.

"Ari-gato," he gasped between breaths. Lucas put his schoolbag down and went to retrieve his glasses. He took them with a nod in thanks and held up a finger. "Just, give us…a moment."

Lucas nodded. Meanwhile, Marshall carried Lucas around to the studios and showed him into the room that wasn't even mentioned before. The walls were grey and it had the same equipment as the other rooms. The only difference was that the cello which stayed in Hikari's adjoining room had been relocated to this place.

As Marshall put his duffel bag down, Lucas said, "Let me guess. This was Hikari's fiancée's – I mean your cellist's room."

Marshall nodded. "But now, it's yours. I hope you don't mind staying with us. I know we're a strange bunch-"

"No. It's okay, really. I think I'll enjoy my time here."

Marshall smiled and beckoned him to go back to the main room to rejoin the others. When there, Marshall found himself sighing and shaking his head. Hikari was standing on a chair to lower the temperature of the air conditioning unit (the remote needed batteries and nobody had bothered to get them), while Davey was on his feet once more, but kicking Mizuki in the back. "Hey. Get up jackass."

The man stirred then dragged himself into a sitting position. His brown eyes seemed tired and glazed over and he hugged the cushion close to his chest. Lucas didn't miss the changes. Mizuki now had blonde highlights in his hair. Face flushed, he looked up at Lucas, however, not one drop of recognition showed. "Who are you?" he slurred.

Lucas could smell the alcohol on him from where he was standing.

He was unsure of how to respond and Marshall sensed his discomfort. Motioning him to have a seat, he walked up to Mizuki and kneeled down. Placing a hand on his forehead, he said, "You really did a number on yourself this time boy. You'd better be glad that you recover quickly."

Mizuki pouted. "She left me."

"Alright. Don't think about her. You'll be okay in a bit." Marshall helped him into a chair and dimmed the lights a bit. Soon, soft snoring could be heard from his direction.

"Finally," Roscoe muttered. "Hey Lucas, Marsh. How's the ride here?"

"Comfortable," Lucas responded.

"We picked up some food on the way."

"Yeah, we'll just have it with the movies later. So how was school today? Met any new friends? Anyone bullying you?"

Lucas scratched the back of his head. "Er…no bullies. I did meet this girl though. She was somewhat interesting."

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Where does she live?"

"I don't have a clue."

"Are you attracted to her?"

"Hey! Roscoe! Why are you cross examining the stripling? You'll make him uncomfortable." Marshall scolded.

"Sorry. I'm just a bit overprotective, I guess." He ran a hand through his blue hair.

Hikari finally got off the chair, though he nearly hurt himself in the process.

He undid the now very messy bun and smoothed his hair back.

Lucas squinted in confusion. The cold Hikari that he had seen the day before seemed like a totally different person now. The man before him still had the grace of Hikari; however, he was clumsy in a cute, childish way.

An eye twitched. "What are you giving me that look for?" he asked, sitting down tentatively.

Lucas shook his head. "It's just that I didn't expect you to be like this."

Hikari raised an eyebrow in question.

Davey chuckled. "He may be cold and antisocial, but Hikari is prone to injuring himself. He's even totally defenceless. The only thing that could possibly help him is an actual weapon."

Hikari narrowed his eyes at him.

"His ego is huge, but easily injured, so it's fun to watch him mess up."

"Speak for yourself," he spat out.

"Aaw. Come here." Davey pulled Hikari over to him and put him in a headlock. "You know I don't mean that, doru."

The younger man pouted at the nickname.

"Anyways, laddie how about we get your work done before Mizuki wakes up. That way you won't have to worry about it all weekend."

"What subjects do you have?" Hikari asked.

"Physics, Geography and Economics. I also have this chapter in a novel to read for Literature class."

"I'm good with Physics. Roscoe can take Economics and Marshall can do Geography. Mizuki is a pro in the arts, so he can help you with Literature when he gets up."

"Thanks a lot," Lucas said, removing supplies from his bag. "I'll work with you on the Physics first, Hikari."

Two hours later, Mizuki stirred. Groaning softly, he staggered to his feet before sinking to the ground. He held his head for a few moments before opening his eyes. Books were scattered all over the carpet. Lucas, Davey, Marshall and Hikari were all sitting in circle playing cards.

After the pounding in his head lessened, he crawled stealthily over to the group and peered into some of the books. He quivered when he recognized some of the formulae he had learned in Physics class back in high school and cringed when he saw lines filled with boring global financial trends, stock markets and the like. The notes on volcanoes, however, brought a smile to his lips.

Though not fully recovered, he felt mischievous. Hangovers didn't affect him that much any way and he had an uncanny knack for healing quickly. He decided to go mess with everyone's favourite doru, Hikari. He knew that whenever the man started doing something, whether work or a leisure time activity, he usually became absorbed in it after a while. Taking advantage of this fact, he crept behind Hikari and blew softly on the base of his neck. The man froze. His hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and goose bumps covered his skin. An eye twitched sporadically and all the cards in his hand fell out.

"You damn halfwit! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?!" he uncharacteristically shouted. It seemed like all the teasing that he had gotten for the day went to his head, because he tackled Mizuki to the ground.

Davey's mouth fell open in shock and Marshall's eyes widened a bit. Hikari rarely shouted. They barely even heard him raise his voice when people were frustrating him. What was even more shocking to them was that he initiated a battle that he knew he had no chance of winning. Hikari did not do stupid things like that. Yet, there he was, on the floor, screaming and shouting for help as Mizuki pulled his hair and tickled him on his sides where his shirt had ridden up.

Marshall quickly got a camera and videoed the whole thing. Eventually, when his head began to throb from the noise, Mizuki released his captive and crawled over to Marshall for comfort. He lay his head on his lap and stretched his legs across Lucas', ensuring that he didn't even glance at Davey, knowing that he would never receive any affection from him.

Hikari quickly regained his senses and scraped up what little dignity he had left to return to the circle. Face flushed and hands trembling, he quietly stuttered out an apology and an explanation for his strange behaviour. Davey tried his best to stifle laughter. It wasn't every day that someone got to see Mr. Stoic get flustered.

"Mizuki?"

"Hn?"

"Why did you get drunk?" Lucas asked, fiddling with his cards.

He looked straight at him. His brown eyes still looked tired, but this time, they looked sorrowful as well.

"You said 'she left me' just before you fell asleep."

Mizuki smiled and propped himself up with an elbow. "I cope with my problems a bit differently from you, Lu. Coming here and drinking helps to calm me down. Sometimes I go over the top and get wasted, but such is life. I happened to be in a relationship with this wonderful girl for around two months now. She wanted sex, but I wanted to wait until I get married, and she left because of that. When I went home last night, I saw a note stuck to my refrigerator. That's all she left for me. I used to give her the best of everything. I never denied her of anything. She got gifts regularly, and I loved her dearly, but she forgot all about my feelings and just up and left because we had a few differences when it came on to something as simple as sex."

"Sorry to hear."

He closed his eyes and continued, not minding sharing a little bit of his life with his friends. "That's why I read my novels. I can fantasize and dream about what I don't have a chance experiencing in real life. I want to have that sort of bond with someone, but once the 'right' woman comes along, that's always the big problem."

"So if you really want to bond with them so badly, why don't you just forget the whole marriage thing? Lots of guys are comfortable with one-nighters."

"That is definitely one principle that I'm never going to compromise. It wouldn't even make a difference if I did though," he muttered.

"Eh? Why not?"

Mizuki flinched. "Oh you heard that…It's complicated. I have **problems** down there. That in itself is a major turnoff to my 'partners'."

Davey narrowed his eyes. "Those books you read don't help it. They only make it more painful."

"Davey, I'm an optimist. I focus on positives, not negatives. Trust me; the pain is well worth it."

"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. Lu has a girl that he's interested in." Marshall smirked.

The once depressed brown eyes instantly brightened. "Eh? You do? What body type? Personality? What foods does she like? Wh-"

"Hey. Slow down. When he says interested, he means a normal, healthy teenage interest. Not one of your obsessions." Hikari was back to his old self and Lucas nearly sighed in relief.

"Tell me how you feel about her," Mizuki ordered as he stood up and pulled the boy into an isolated corner of the room to chat more openly.

Davey shook his head. "Might as well get the things ready. Now that you've gotten him started, he won't be stopping for now."

He started putting the books away while Hikari attended to the movies for the evening and Marshall took care of the food.

"Do you want to get…you know…intimate with her?" he raised an eyebrow.

Lucas got flustered and shook his hands wildly. "N-no! Of c-course not. She just caught my eye, I guess…"

Mizuki rolled his eyes. "Have you ever been in a relationship before?"

He remained silent.

"What's her name?"

"Alice. Alice Gehabich."

Mizuki nearly fell flat on his face when he heard the last name. "Whoa. This'll be complicated. Does she know who you are?"

"No."

The man swooned. "Ah. Forbidden love. Two young souls enchanted by each other but have to keep it a secret, as their parents are rivals."

Lucas pouted and folded his arms. "It's not like that. I don't really care if the girl I like is my dad's rival. I'm not even inheriting the company anyway, so what difference should it make to me?"

"That's the spirit. Now, since you've admitted that you like the girl, I'll look up her number then give her a call."

"Wait. What? What're you calling her for?"

"So you can talk to her, dummy. I wanna see what my future daughter in law looks like too."

"No!" Lucas shouted. He tried to grab Mizuki's cell phone away, but the man simply held his hand up and out of his reach.

"Come on. _You'll never get a girl if you're like this." _Mizuki's eyes suddenly flashed gold, and he placed his free hand atop Lucas' head. "'Kay Lu. Just hear me out. I'll give you a choice. You can either talk to her and try getting some experience relationship-wise or, I can read some of my novels to you. I have some extra graphic ones I'm sure you'll enjoy."

Lucas blush intensified at the thought of what exactly Mizuki was reading every day and he stopped struggling.

"F-find her number."

A victory smile flashed across Mizuki's face. He was about to ask Marshall for the phone book when there was a loud knock on the front door. Everyone froze. Visitors **never** came there. People didn't generally walk through the back alleys anyway. The knock came again.

Davey got up and went into the kitchen for a bread knife while Marshall followed, his hand on a pistol that he carried everywhere with him. The two men approached the front door. Marshall slowly opened it.

Soft moonlight filtered in and illuminated the neat junkyard. An unfamiliar black minivan was parked near to the house and a petite redhead stood in the doorway, clutching a thick book to her ample chest. She squeaked when she saw two menacing men looming before her, weapons in hand. Marshall quickly returned the pistol to its holster and leaned forward to see her face clearly.

"Little lassie, what are you doing out here at this time of night?"

Davey looked as if he'd nearly have a heart failure. "Don't you know how dangerous it is for you to be out here alone?"

"U-um. I'm not alone, sir. I'm with my friends. They're in the van over there."

"Eh? Then why are you children here? These are secluded alleys you know. Rapists and thieves love places like those."

"We…well, I came here looking for someone. I have something to give to him."

"And who might that be?" Davey queried, looking at her suspiciously.

"L-Lucas. Lucas Schneider."

_Schneider? I wonder if it's Lu she's talking about._ "And who might you be?"

"Alice."

The men's eyes widened when she said her name. They instinctively looked her up and down and thanked the heavens that Lucas had a good taste in women.

"Come inside, Alice." Marshall said, not thinking before he spoke.

"I-I prefer to wait out here till I see him." She shifted uncomfortably.

"Sorry about that Miss. I'd do the same thing. We'll go get him for ya." Davey and Marshall left the door open and went around to the studios.

"Hey, Mizuki. You don't have to call her anymore. She's right outside; asked for him too."

Mizuki snickered then pushed Lucas out of the room. The boy paled, but went out anyway.

When he saw the girl, something swelled in his chest. He walked up to her and looked outside, then he inspected her, concern evident in his eyes and voice. "Alice! What are you doing here? Is everything alright? Did something happen."

She shook her head. "No. Nothing happened. All's well."

Lucas sighed in relief and brought her inside, closing the door behind him. Figuring it would be best to speak in private, he stayed in the front room. "I'm really sorry. There're no chairs in this room, so you can't sit. We have a few in the back, but I don't think you want to be around those weird guys right now."

Alice shook her head. "It's okay. I don't mind." The fear she had of him dissipated and his eyes didn't seem so cold and unwelcoming anymore.

"Alright. So…how did you find me?"

"Actually, some friends and I were at the mall and we saw you walking out with someone. I remembered that I had the book that I wanted to give to you, so we just followed you here." She smiled and handed it to him.

"Really? Thanks a bunch, Alice!" He ran his fingers over the leather cover and itched to dig into the first pages.

"Would you like to read the blurb now?"

"I don't read blurbs. They spoil the surprises sometimes, you know," he explained, kind of shocked that he could be so casual around her. "By the way, are your friends outside?"

"Yeah."

"I hope you don't mind me saying this, but they're creeping me out."

Alice nearly choked. "Creeping you out?"

"Yeah. Especially the blue haired girl and the silver haired one. They always stare at me then turn away when they think I'm looking. A lot of people do that, but the freaky thing is that whenever she looks away, the blue haired one writes something on this notepad she carries around with her. There's someone that's always taking pictures, but I don't remember what he looks like."

Alice sighed and face-palmed. "They'll probably kill me when they found out I told you this, but, Runo works for the school newspaper, and since you're sort of a hot topic now, she thinks it would be great to write an article about you. The one taking the pictures is my brother, her temporary photographer."

Lucas scratched the back of his head and blushed. "Well, if all they wanted was an interview, why didn't they just ask?"

"Runo's too scared to ask you, and they think you're stuck up because you don't talk to anyone at school."

He winced. Looking at his attitude, he could see why people would think that though. Alice noticed and almost hated herself for putting it so bluntly.

"Do you think so too?" It slipped out. He wasn't thinking. When since did this girl's opinions of himself matter to him?

"Of course not. I actually think you're sweet." Another awkward sentence. The tips of her ears reddened. "I hope I'm not being too forward," she laughed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ears. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted a red haired man down the hallway. Lucas saw him too, because his skin drained of all colour.

"Hey," he whispered. "Bear with me and don't hate me for this, okay. Just play along."

Lucas waited until she nodded hesitantly in consent before gently pushing her against a wall and pressing his lips to hers. Alice was shocked and remained still for two seconds. Then something popped inside her. She ran her tongue against his bottom lip and was half surprised when he allowed her access to his mouth. Slipping her tongue inside, she lost no time in exploring his warm mouth and tangling her hands in his hair. The weirdest thing of all was that he was kissing her back. Mizuki grinned and slunk away into the studio hall. After a few seconds, Alice pulled away and opened her eyes. Lucas, who had his hands around her waist rest his forehead on hers, eyes still closed. Alice secretly chided herself. She was sure that Lucas had meant that to be a chaste kiss, but she blew everything out of proportion.

"Th-thanks," he whispered. He didn't move. Her body remained flush to his.

"Did you like it?" she asked awkwardly.

"Y-yeah. That was my first time."

"Mine too."

Lucas opened his grey eyes and stared at her sceptically. Luckily for him, she didn't see.

"So things don't get weird between us, why don't we…um…get together. You know, in a relationship…Just for experience though! We don't have to get emotionally attached if you don't want to." She rambled, avoiding his eyes. Lucas chuckled.

"That would be okay with me." He suddenly realized what he had done and the position he was holding her in and quickly pulled away and coughed nervously.

"S-so, you guys can come over tomorrow morning. I'll be staying over for the night, but I'm not sure what plans those guys have for tomorrow afternoon, so I think morning would be the best."

"Thanks. See you tomorrow then," she said with a smile. She placed a hand on his chest and gave him a sweet, chaste kiss that lingered on his lips. He watched her as she left the house. That was definitely unexpected.

* * *

><p>On the way back home, Julie praised Alice for getting their interview so early. Everything she said went through one ear and came out the other. Joseph noticed the way the girl lightly brushed her lips with her fingers.<p>

"What happened back there? You're awfully quiet," he said, eyeing her intensely.

Alice shrank back in her seat beside him. "N-nothing," she stuttered quickly. Daniel and Runo raised their eyebrows while Julie squealed in delight. Daisy wished Joseph luck.

His eyes narrowed. "You have some serious explaining to do when we get home, Alice Gehabich."

* * *

><p><strong>Yep. That's all folks.<strong>

**Quote: **** "Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." **  
><strong> - A.A Milne<strong>

**~Anne Callendar**


	10. Buildup

**Guten Tag everyone, and best wishes for the new year! Yes, I know... I've been a horrible author by not updating for a couple months, especially after those two filler chapters that most of you must be wondering about. You'll see how they tie in in this and the two succeeding chappies. This story is almost at its close and I wish to thank everyone who has taken the time out to at least consider reading it. I have more to say, but, that can wait for the final chapter.**

**Anyways, on with the show! Enjoy...**

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TEN<p>

BUILDUP

* * *

><p><em>Alice hugged her pillow close to her chest and pressed her earphones deeper into her ears. A purple striped book lay open before her, pages blank, a matching pen beside it itching to stain the pages. She squeezed her eyes shut. In a few minutes, Joseph would be entering her room. Even though it was early morning, she knew that he'd be livid. Sadly, for her, their mother was still fast asleep, there was nobody to save her or temper his wrath.<em>

_The door swung open. She looked at her phone on the nightstand, praying that Runo wouldn't decide to call right then. Joseph stood in the doorway, a frown etched deeply into his face. He sat down beside Alice and yanked the earphones out of her ears, levelling her with a stare._

_She flinched. "N-nothing happened between us," she whispered._

_He raised an eyebrow._

_"At least, nothing that you should be worried about."_

_"Really now? If that's the case, then you being dazed last night was all a dream? Should I not be concerned if my little sister goes talking to some strange guy then come back with red lips, a flushed face, and on top of that, behaving detached."_

_"Joe, please…"_

_"What did he do to you? It's obvious that you've done something a bit intimate."_

_Alice bit her lip and lowered her head._

_Joseph tightened his fists. "I swear that if this guy forced you into anything-"_

_"Joe, no, please!" She grabbed his wrist. "Lucas is a good guy, really. He didn't force me to do anything. I-I just sorta pushed ahead."_

_"Pushed ahead eh?"_

_"**I **kissed him. This isn't his fault."_

_"What?" Joseph sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Allie, you've only spoken to him twice. Why on earth would you kiss him? You even almost convinced me that you were completely uninterested."_

_"I know, and I feel so sleazy and desperate. I don't know what happened. I'm sure I didn't care about him before, and I thought that I was somewhat scared of him, but last night, all of that disappeared, and I just felt so attracted to him. And when we kissed, it felt so…right."_

_Joseph pouted and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think it would be best for you to stay home today. I mean, stay away from him for the time being. It would give you some time to think over your feelings."_

_Alice shook her head. "Joe, no. I want to go. I want to be there. I don't know why, but I really feel like I need to be by his side."_

_"You just met him-"_

_She silenced him with a look._

_"Alright. I'm sorry. I'll give him a chance. It's just that I don't want him to hurt you. Neither Mom nor I want to see you in pieces over some guy, alright. But still, I'll give him a chance."_

_Her eyes brightened. "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed, lunging forward and hugging him tightly._

_"Yeah. You might want to hurry and get ready. I'll get your breakfast and leave Mom a note. Just focus on yourself," he said, before kissing her on the forehead and leaving._

* * *

><p><em>There were three loud, sharp knocks on the door. The ringing of a bell echoed through the house shortly after. Marshall stirred from his resting place then got up and shuffled towards the front door. He yanked it open and blinked. The people on the other side blinked twice. He stifled a yawn then rubbed his eyes. Recognizing Alice, he said, "Oh! The young lass from last night. Remind me why you're here again dear. The noggin is a bit slow in the morning."<em>

_"We're here for an interview with Lucas." Alice smiled sweetly. "These are my friends that were in the van."_

_"Come on in then dears. I would offer you a bit of breakfast, but I just got up. The others are still asleep."_

_They followed Marshall into the house, looking around as they went. They were surprised to find out that the inside was nothing like the outside. Marshall ushered them to the seats in the studio before leaving to clean himself up._

_"Aawww," Julie and Daisy fawned at the sight before them._

_Three and a half men lay on thin futons sleeping soundly. Hikari lay on his back, hair fanned out behind him. Mizuki had him locked in a hug, some of his stomach showing. Davey was on Mizuki's other side, back turned to him, forming a barrier between him and Lucas who lay curled on his side. Joseph and Daniel rose from their seats and wandered off to some other section of the house. Alice silently thanked them before crawling to Lucas' side. She sat beside him and stroked his scalp._

_He stirred slightly then moaned._

_"It's time to get up Lucas."_

_He stirred some more before opening his eyes. Dragging himself into a sitting position, he stared at Alice with his blank, grey orbs. Slowly, recognition filled them, and she could sense that the gears in his brain had begun working._

_"Alice?" he slurred, a genuine smile gracing his tired features._

_"Morning."_

_Marshall stepped in with the two boys trailing behind him._

_He stooped down to wake up the men while they took their seats once more. Joseph avoided looking at his sister._

_Lucas ran a hand through his tousled hair. "I'll be back in a bit. Wait for me?"_

_Alice nodded and watched him stagger to his feet and stumble across the room, still half asleep. Meantime, Daisy trained her eyes on Hikari. He stretched and yawned before bowing in greeting to everyone. His tangled hair was the only sign that he was asleep just seconds before._

_Runo shifted impatiently. She really wanted to ask a mountain of questions, but it was too early to do that. Joseph's impatience had gotten the better of him though, and he was eagerly snapping away._

_After half an hour of waiting, all the sleepers were wide awake, clean, and ready to kick off their day. After some brief introductions, Mizuki and Davey decided to take Alice and Julie on a decent tour of the house and the surroundings while Runo, followed by Dan, Joe and Chan, dragged Lucas into the kitchen for interviews and food. Daisy opted to stay with Hikari as he arranged music sheets and promotional posters, tuned instruments, and started up the electronic systems._

_Runo's left eyebrow twitched sporadically as she slammed Lucas against the small fridge. He cringed and quickly averted his eyes from hers when they snapped open._

_"Look kid, we came here for an interview and that's what we're gonna get, understand?" she said, tone deadly._

_"B-but of course. That **is** why I i-invited you here."_

_Runo looked him over and pushed him away. Interesting. So Mr. Cool and Stoic is a wimp._

_He drew in a deep breath then glanced at Joseph. He knew who he was, and he didn't like it. He knew that when he found out the relationship that he had with his sister, things would really start getting sticky. Shaking his head, he opened the fridge and got out some stuff._

_"Firstly, the rules. You tell us the truth. The absolute truth. If there's something you aren't comfortable with sharing, just tell me, and I'll respect that. Okay. Question number one. What's your full name?"_

_"Lucas S-Schneider. No middle name. No pet names."_

_"Just plain old Lucas Schneider eh." Runo twiddled with her pencil._

_Joe narrowed his eyes. That boy reminded him of someone, but he just couldn't remember who. It was unsettling. From the very first day he saw him, something didn't sit well. The name didn't fit._

_"Any likes or dislikes?"_

_"Caviar. I hate caviar. And heat. I don't have any particular likes. Well, apart from books."_

_Runo nodded and scribbled on her paper._

_Joseph stood right beside him at the sink, unaware of how intimidating he looked. He noticed the sliver of frear that rippled through Lucas' normally guarded eyes._

_"How old are you?" he asked._

_"F-fifteen."_

_"And why did you choose to transfer all the way here? I mean, it's obvious that you're a foreigner and the term is already halfway through **and** it's your second to last year in high school."_

_Luckily for him, Chan interrupted. "What is wrong with you Joe? Is all that information really necessary? I know you're concerned about Alice but there's no need to be so rough on him."_

_Lucas sighed in relief and shot her a thankful smile._

_"Sorry abou that. My curiosity got the better of me." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, but Lucas knew that he suspected something._

_"E-excuse me but have you all eaten already?"_

_"Runo, Chan and I haven't!" Dan shouted quickly._

_Runo rolled her eyes while Chan shook her head. "Really, if it's too much trouble, then don't bother."_

_"No problem. I like cooking anyways."_

_"Hey! You didn't include that in your answer!" Runo shouted._

_"Sorry. It's a bit hard to tell people about myself."_

_Runo smiled at him gently. She hadn't imagined that he would be so humble. Heck, before she thought he was cocky. I think I'm starting to like this guy._

_Soon breakfast was ready and waiting in the studio and everyone who was hungry swarmed around a small coffee table to eat. Lucas sat cross legged on the floor and watched them. He felt comfortable around them, and that was an accomplishment. He hadn't even felt comfortable in his own country – with his own family._

_"Won't you eat?" Julie asked when they sat down with their meals._

_Snapping out of his daydream, Lucas nodded and piled a little food onto a disposable plate._

_"So," Runo began, putting her fork down. "If you've just moved here a few days ago, how come you know these guys? And what connection do you have to this place?"_

_"Er…I just happened to stumble across it one day."_

_"By the way, you didn't even tell us how you came across this little shack." Davey commented._

_Lucas' jaw tightened and he averted his eyes. "I was taking…a walk."_

_A few eyebrows raised and Dan was about to say something when Mizuki cut him off. "Yeah. He just barged right in like he owned the place. We saw each other, then clicked just like that, and now we're here." He had a way of pretending to be absolutely oblivious and shallow just at the right times._

_"So are you some kind of club or something?" Runo queried._

_Hikari choked on his food and shot Runo a glare._

_"We're not club lass. We're a band."_

_It was Joe's turn to choke. "Seriously? A band?"_

_"We'll be practising for a concert this week as soon as we're done eating."_

_Joseph groaned. Perfect. Now my sister is attached to some loser who's in a band. This can't be good._

_"I'll clean up when you're all done then," Alice said. Julie volunteered to help._

_"Oh crap. Daisy, there's something we've forgotten to do. Come on," Hikari said rising from his seat._

_ "Oh. Coming," she called, putting down her things and following him._

_Mizuki smiled at Davey knowingly and followed Alice into the kitchen. When the place was tidied, everyone moved around to the studio, Alice and Julie with tomato red faces and Mizuki with a triumphant smirk on. Davey kicked him into his room and locked the door from the outside before entering his._

_Hikari's voice came clear through the speakers describing the song that would be performed. After giving Lucas a reassuring smile, he started them off._

* * *

><p>Soothing music and smiles quickly transformed. An abnormal piano chord sounded at intervals and the room darkened. Bloodcurdling screams filled Lucas' head and he shot out of bed, only to be assaulted by mental images of four grey headstones, blood spattered walls and floors and other grisly details that ultimately traced back to his father and his determination to force his son to live in eternal misery and fear.<p>

His chest rose and fell at an alarming rate as he shook his head to rid himself of the memories of his life a long time ago. A very long time ago. Involuntarily, his eyes drifted to the night table beside him. On it was a photograph of him in his younger years, clutching a CD to his chest while the four men to whom he had grown so attached surrounded him with loving smiles. He had to tear his eyes away. Remembering them would only bring back darker thoughts – the death of his brother; the assassination of his four new found friends apparently orchestrated by his father; the torching of their old studio house. He was being robbed of everything.

The images came faster. This time, not only old ones, but more recent ones. Ones that included his children. Ones that included Alice. It became hard to breathe. The walls seemed to close in around him. This would take more than alcohol and cigarettes to fix. Those had become his best friends during the period of mourning that he underwent while in high school.

A wave of panic washed over him. He rolled off the bed and staggered to his feet. It didn't take long for him to storm out of the room and bolt up the staircase and out the front door. Rain was pouring in torrents outside. The droplets were so heavy and big that they threatened to crack the concrete pavement upon impact. Stinging droplets assaulted his soft flesh, but Lucas welcomed their coolness as he collapsed onto the pavement, holding his head in his hands. Slowly, the ropes strangling his heart loosened and the skewers threatening to pierce his lungs vanished.

He blinked back tears, trying to convince himself that his world was not falling apart. After a few minutes though, he recognized that his efforts were futile. Four people dear to him had been murdered on his account, the tiny abandoned building which all of them treasured being burned down mercilessly in their assassins' wake; his relations with his father had become more hostile and volatile because of his marriage to the granddaughter of his eternal enemy – Michael Gehabich; that same woman aforementioned had ripped his heart out and torn it to bloody shreds and now, she wanted to take the only things he had left – his children.

Fat tears rolled down his cheeks and he felt worthless. Stupid. Weak. He had dragged himself to this get-together in an attempt to please his children and his friends. He was trying to cope on his own, keeping up a brave face and lying to everyone although it was clear that something was wrong. And he was too scared to get help. He was spiraling into that all too familiar pit of darkness which had swallowed him greedily the first time he came to Japan. Then he had people to yank him out of it. Now, those people were gone and he was left to fend for himself. Past mistakes did nothing to lighten his load. He was given a second chance at happiness with a family, but what did he do with that? He'd failed his children. He'd failed his wife. If it weren't for his two young ones, he probably would have had his licensed firearm at his skull right then. He knew Alice would be happy. The others might be sad, but they'd get over it eventually.

A streak of lightning tore through the sky and a roar of thunder came soon after. Lucas shuddered as both the thunder and the suicidal thoughts that were slowly swarming his mind drove a chill to his bones. Somewhat reluctantly, he returned inside, determined to lock himself in his room and soundproof it so he could grieve all he wanted. Eventually, he got back to his cell and was proceeding to lock his door and apply the soundproof settings when he saw a flashing light on his cellular phone. Curiously, he walked up to it and listened to a voice message, wondering who would have the audacity to ring him at that ungodly hour. When he listened to the voice, it became crystal clear. The man who defied all man made laws without any consequence and the one who took matters of life and death into his own hands. Micah Grendahay. He requested a meeting with his son in which he was to carry his whole family to France on the fifteenth of the next month.

Lucas' brow crinkled. Over the years, he had grown complacent. He had forgotten who his father was – what he was capable of. He had forgotten that he had crossed him in the worst way possible. He had to find a way to get all of them, especially Alice, to attend. Missing the meeting would be dangerous, both for himself and Alice's family. The last thing he wanted was another massacre brought on by him.

Suddenly, fatigue washed over his small frame. He felt winded and his eyelids became heavy. He resolved that after he had pleased everyone that it was possible to please the next day, he would try to figure out some way to work through the problem that his father now presented. For now, though, he would seek refuge in the soft sheets that the Cliffside Villa offered him.

* * *

><p>Alice rose from her bed when the sun was well up in the sky. She stretched and peered out her window. It had a lovely view of the lake and scattered farms and villages dotting the gently rolling hills beyond. The city was behind them. That was good. It was relaxing to slow down from time to time. It was good for your health.<p>

When she got up, a sharp pain slashed through her chest. Gasping, she doubled over, clutching the area with one hand and leaning on the night table for support with the other. As if on cue, Joseph walked in, a sunny smile on his face. Seeing her in that state quickly transformed his features into ones denoting concern. With great urgency, he seated her and screwed open a bottle of liquid medication on the dresser. Measuring quickly but precisely, he administered the sticky blue fluid to his sister and took a seat beside her. Alice squeezed her eyes shut and willed her trembling to stop and the feeling of weakness that flooded every cell to go away. After breathing deeply for a few moments, she calmed down.

Joseph looked at her worriedly and inwardly cursed himself for not coming sooner.

"The divorce," Alice said feebly.

"What about it?"

"I need to get it done as quickly as possible. No more delays. We can probably arrange to meet during the trip."

Joseph shook his head. "No matter what, don't do that. Don't bring your lawyer here. It'll only make the others suspicious and your children might pick up on what you're doing. They're not dumb."

Alice held her head down and stared into her lap. She _**needed**_ that divorce. This trip was prolonging things.

The blonde rest his head on Alice's forehead. "Look, I know you're desperate, but at least, try to wait out a bit. Time won't run out."

Alice looked up at him, hoping his words were true.

"Now come on. Lighten up. Rest on the balcony until breakfast is ready. I'll explain to the others that you're exhausted."

She let herself be led out to the balcony like a little girl. Men were seated at one table while women were seated at the other. This arrangement seemed to be getting increasingly popular within the group. Chan and Julie were missing – the incredibly mouth-watering scents wafting from the kitchen confirmed where they were. That left only Runo, who was video chatting with Fabia. She and Shun couldn't make it that year.

Joseph dropped her off and quickly retreated to the men's table as if Runo and Fabia were some form of poison. Alice greeted them and took a seat and after talking for a bit, she let her eyes travel over to the opposite table. She had a clear side view of Lucas. Beck had taken the opportunity to plant himself in his lap before Zachary could wake up fully enough to realize that his throne had been stolen.

Billy was leading a discussion on the latest football standings and Daniel was in the process of betting that his team would reach the finals when Carla marched right up to her father, fuming. He ushered Beck down and leaned forward to peer into her face. Curious, he looked around her, where he saw Sataka comforting a silently crying Zachary and stealing confused glances at Carla.

Lucas could see it coming. Carla was about to flip out in front of everyone here. He wasn't going to stop her though. He just steeled himself and turned towards her, lest she get worse. Carla puffed angrily and ignored the affectionate gaze of her father. Joseph saw it coming too. He was well acquainted with Carla's anger but he never responded. After all, it was only ever directed towards Lucas. Zachary hid his face in Sataka's clothing. He got terribly scared when Carla got this mad.

"I want to dye my hair," she spat out.

Lucas was taken aback but he didn't show it. Guessing at what she meant, he prodded, "What part of it?"

"The streaks. I'm tired of looking like a freak!" She couldn't even bring herself to call the colour. Whenever it suited her, those turquoise streaks made her exceptionally unique or a freak of nature.

Lucas nodded and continued listening to her. It hurt that she wanted to rid herself of him, but he didn't show it. It was what he deserved, after all.

"I hate you." She seethed, squeezing her fists, hot tears dripping to the floor. "I hate you so, so much. Why did you have to come back? You could have just stayed somewhere else, like you always do! Zach, Mom and I have been doing well without you, but you always have to choose to come back. Then you charm us. Then you leave us behind for ages. Do you know how much it hurts?! Do you understand how much pain we've felt because of you?"

Lucas kept staring at her.

"The more I try not to make any memories with you, the more you try to make memories with me. And then I stay for weeks, sometimes months, waiting for you to come back. Do you think that's funny?"

Beck stepped closer to Carla and looked at her apprehensively. He held her hand gently. "Hey Carla, do you think you should be talking to your old man like that?" he hesitated.

His voice seemed to snap Carla back to reality and she looked up at the man with her light brown eyes. Shocked, she pressed her hands to her mouth, the frequency of tears increasing. Ashamed, she looked around her. All the adults stared at her in amazement – even the laptop was turned towards her so that Fabia could see. All except the victim of her wrath, that is. He looked at her calmly, but with a tinge of sadness. She knew that he was sorry for what he had done and she knew that he was trying his best to make up for it, but she couldn't stop herself. She had to get rid of the deep seated anger bubbling within her. Never once had he scolded her or said anything mean to her. She was always the one criticizing him, and now, she'd done it, and before his friends too.

"I'm glad you've shared how you felt with me. It's about time you let out your emotions." His calm voice chimed through the silence, and guilt swallowed her up. Absolutely humiliated, she retreated to her room, determined not to make an appearance for the rest of the day.

Beck and Sataka went after her while Laney tried to calm Zachary down.

Lucas shook his head then sipped his water. He arched an eyebrow when all faces turned to him.

"Yes?"

"Wow," Daniel exclaimed.

"You're just gonna take that?"

"Meaning?" Lucas turned to him, tiredness radiating from him.

"Meaning, you're just gonna let your daughter size you up? No disciplinary lecture?"

"There's no need for any."

"Huh?" Dan and Billy exclaimed in unison.

"Didn't you see her face? She was absolutely mortified. She knows that she stepped way out of line, and she's embarrassed by it. On the other hand, I meant what I said. It's good that she's stopped bottling her feelings."

"Are you going to buy it," Joe asked, very interested in how Lucas dealt with his children.

"Yes. I don't see why not. If she had my eyes and were a bit older, then I'd get her contacts too."

Billy was in shock. "I just don't understand how you could be so calm after she just insulted you like that. "

"It's in my nature, I guess."

A pang went through Alice's chest. What Carla had said was true, but it was also wrong to behave so badly.

* * *

><p><strong>That's it. If there are any typos here, I apologize for them. There are just some things that keep missing me.<strong>

**Your reviews would be greatly appreciated. Feedback is a good thing.**

**Quote: ** **"New Year - a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story ? Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours." **  
><strong> ― Alex Morrit<strong>


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